In the last entry on space tourism I looked at an example of extreme tourism - a more out-there version of action or adventure tourism. This involves activities which could be said to involve deliberately putting yourself in situations where the outcome is risky or uncertain. What could be riskier, you may think, than being blasted into space, experiencing space travel before returning to Earth?

Space, zero-gravity and orbital travel don’t find their way into Visit Scotland’s spectrum of adventure tourism: earth, air, ice and water. But each of these elements is associated with sporting activities and it’s this sector that dominates in extreme tourism. The Visit Scotland file cites Mintel data suggesting that more than 1 in 10 domestic holidays involve an activity, with the same proportion applying to international holidays. With 119 adventure sport companies listed covering almost 50 different activities, the size of the market is clearly large.

Clearly an Extreme SportAdventure sports activities involve doing things that clearly didn’t use to appeal previously. About the closest many would have come to adventure or extreme sports might have been a fleeting attempt at windsurfing or water skiing. But growth figures for participation in extreme sports have increased rapidly in recent years, according to research in the Visit Scotland paper. Among the activities they list are: whitewater rafting and cliff jumping; bridge swinging and sphereing; ice climbing and telemark skiing; and microlighting and power kiting.

The report identifies seven drivers in the adventure tourism market. These are worth investigating further another time, but for now I’ve lifted three highlights of the research findings on these key drivers: stereotypes of adventure tourism demand; demographics and target segments; and the role of regulation.

Stereotypes of typical consumers of adventure tourism are inaccurate – these activities are enjoyed by many other segments than the obvious ‘young, single, independently wealthy person’. In other words, the adventure tourism market appears to transcend socioeconomic groups, ages and gender. It has seeped into our culture to such an extent that some of the activities would be tried by almost anyone.

It’s thought that the dominant demographic group in adventure tourism over the next 20 years will be the 45-64 age group. This group is characterised as being health-conscious, seeking new experience and being willing and able to pay. Mature Couple out WalkingYou might imagine this group favours less risky activities than snowboarding and rock climbing, but it represents an attractive segment to the industry, due to the higher levels of discretionary income it usually implies.

In terms of regulation, this stems from an industry perception that consumers seem unwilling to take out adequate insurance protection when they intend to participate in adventure activities. The suspicion has grown that this leads to consumers assuming that in all cases the activity provider is responsible for safety. In this way, regulation grows from authorities and business organisations keen to provide consumers and providers with protection from claims for compensation.

These three drivers of adventure or extreme tourism, its almost limitless appeal, meeting consumer demands at a profit and negotiating the minefield of regulation and compensation are central to the continued development of this form of tourism.