Adventure tourism is a growth industry, and non traditional travel destinations are among those countries with potential to benefit most from this trend.
The top 10 developed countries with potential for adventure tourism are Switzerland, Iceland, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Finland, and Austria.
The top 10 developing countries with potential for adventure tourism are Israel, Slovak Republic, Chile, Estonia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Jordan, Romania, and Latvia.
A study published by George Washington University in the United States, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and Vital Wave Consulting ranked countries around the world based on the principles of sustainable adventure tourism, calculating through a combination of expert survey data and quantitative data gathered from international indices.
The result is an Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI), which is now in its third year.
“The ATDI ranks countries based on key touristic value pillars including sustainable development policy and entrepreneurship, putting importance on these issues which we now know are crucial not only for communities and the environment but also for business success,” says Christina Heyniger of Vital Wave Consulting.
“Looking at this year’s rankings we see Eastern European countries again dominating the emerging-market rankings, and also the appearance of Canada in the top 10 for developed countries.”
Countries were ranked on whether they were safe and welcoming, their entrepreneurship and adventure activity resources, and their readiness in terms of humanitarian, infrastructure, cultural resources, and image
A country's current popularity or visitation numbers for adventure travel was not taken into consideration.