Trends in Adventure Tourism

Dear Colleagues,

Adventure tourism has grown steadily over the last 20 years. It has developed into a significant area of tourism, and the popularity of adventure activities is escalating. Additionally, an increasing number of tourism studies (Doran, Pomfret & Adu-Ampong, 2022) provide insight into the many sides of adventure tourism, such as consumer value (Vespestad, Lindberg, & Mossberg, 2019), the experience of rush as a motivation for adventure, and the feeling of happiness that it provides (Buckley, 2007, 2012, 2020). Adventure tourism has often been defined in terms of adventure recreation; however, knowledge on individual experiences, the perception of adventure, and the business perspective is also needed for a more complete understanding of adventure tourism (Weber, 2001). The experience of adventure tourism often relies on the co-creation of value from a variety of stakeholders in a great range of tourism destinations and contexts.

The adventure tourism area is closely related to Nature-based tourism, and there might be a variation of experiential styles (Vespestad & Lindberg, 2011), as many adventure tourism consumers are driven by either a special-interest activity relying on some sort of natural phenomenon or conditions (e.g., surfing, mountain biking, scuba diving, skiing or climbing). Tourists’ motivation for participating in adventure tourism are diverse, as are the potential constraints and the relationship between personality and interest in adventure activity participation (Vespestad & Mehmetoglu, 2010). The balance between skills and competence is of importance in adventure tourism experiences (Weber, 2001), and the concept of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 2002; Csikszentmihalyi & Rathunde, 1993) has not only been researched in this context—it is now also becoming mainstream in the communication among members in special interest communities. The communities forming around adventure tourism are still in need of more research.   

This Special Issue aims to provide insights into trends in adventure tourism, and how the development of adventure tourism can provide value for all stakeholders. Both qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies are welcome. We are pleased to invite you to submit proposals to this special issue of Tourism and Hospitality on Trends in adventure tourism.

Suggested themes and article types for submissions:

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: Nature-based adventure activities; recent developments in special interest tourism; consumer co-creation in adventure tourism; and experiences and experience design in adventure tourism, marketing, sustainability, or risk in adventure tourism.  

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. May Kristin Vespestad
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tourism and Hospitality is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• adventure tourism
• nature-based experiences
• value in adventure
• co-creation of adventure
• sustainability in adventure tourism
• extraordinary experiences