| Despite the growing importance of adventure travel as a viable market segment in the international travel and tourism industry, not much systematic investigation has been attempted in this area. In an effort to propose a comprehensive market analysis, this study approaches the adventure travel marketing system from the conceptual dimension of adventure tourism linking to various marketing environmental factors for effective strategy formulation. A review of leisure involvement theories from a tourism perspective emphasized understanding of consumer characteristics and travel behavior. Studies in travel and tourism marketing suggested that information about significant determinants of travelers' likelihood of participating in different adventure trip types could help marketers pinpoint their target segments. An eight-page questionnaire was developed, tested by a pilot study during the 1998 International Adventure Travel and Outdoor Show, and a mail survey was undertaken with the members of the Adventure Club of North America [ACONA]. Respondents were compared based on whether or not they had taken an adventure trip. No significant difference was found between the two groups. Therefore, all respondents (N = 1,033) were treated as adventure travelers interested in taking an adventure trip. Using cluster analysis, six distinctive groups of these travelers were identified and labeled as: 'general enthusiasts,' 'budget youngsters,' 'soft moderates,' 'upper high naturalists,' 'family vacationers,' and 'mature soloists,' representing meaningful subgroups of adventure traveler market segments. Logit analysis examined the hypothesized relationship, Trip participation = f(perception of adventure travel, demographic, socioeconomic, and trip related characteristics), and identified significant determinants of travelers' likelihood of participating in different adventure trip types. The results of this study highlight various implications for future research studies in consumer behavior and in Cohen's (1972) typology of tourist groups. For marketers, information about adventure traveler profiles and travel behavior provides reliable, valid instrumentation for consumer- or product-oriented segmentation approaches. |
