What Is the Adventure Tourism Development Index?

The Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI) is a tool supporting entrepreneurs and governments who want to develop and market sustainable adventure tourism products and services.

The ATDI was developed by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, The George Washington University International Institute for Tourism Studies and Xola Consulting, Inc.

Why Is the ATDI Important?

As it grows, the influence of the adventure tourism industry expands, and with it, its potential to positively transform people, environments and economies. Adventure tourism can be a catalyst, sparking economic growth across multiple industries in destinations where it is given strategic focus.

As more destinations and businesses seek to enter the adventure tourism industry, we find a need for a set of principles which can serve as guidelines for responsible development. By promoting a set of development principles we provide structure for the industry’s growth, ensuring that the markets we create now will be sustainable, delivering benefits into the future for our environment and people.

Building competitive adventure markets requires a different approach than that used to develop mainstream tourism markets. For example, adventure markets have different requirements when it comes to infrastructure and place a different premium on the leadership brought by entrepreneurs to industry growth.

ATDI In Detail

As a new standard for adventure market development, the ATDI's 10 Pillars of Adventure Tourism Market Competitiveness are helping to reshape the global perception and understanding of adventure as a means of economic development.

The ATDI has two components:

Quantitative Benchmarks

Numerical benchmarks order countries according to their Adventure Tourism Competitiveness score. The Adventure Tourism Development Index is composed of a number of "pillars" specifically gauged to measure adventure tourism competitiveness.

Each of the 10 pillars is made up of a number of individual variables. The dataset used to compile the numerical scores includes both hard data and survey data.

Qualitative Assessments of "Featured Adventure Destinations"

Accompanying the numerical benchmarks are detailed analyses of Featured Adventure Destinations. Featured Adventure Destination analyses are conducted using the 10 Pillars and provide in-depth discussion and exposure of a country’s specific attributes. A Featured Destination analysis goes behind the numbers to tell the full story of a country’s (or region’s) adventure tourism market and offers specific recommendations for further adventure product development and global marketing.

In destinations where the ATDI’s 10 pillars are applied for development purposes, it can increase media and consumer exposure for emerging destinations, while highlighting physical, cultural and nature-based resources.

Featured Destination qualitative assessments will have no bearing on a country or region’s numerical ranking.

Click Here to Download the 2008 Global Adventure Competitiveness Benchmarks

Click Here to Download the ATDI Introduction Brief

Click Here to Download Introduction to the Adventure Tourism Development Index and Feature Adventure Destination Program

2008 Feature Adventure Destinations: Assam, India and Peru