Regenerative adventure tourism. Going beyond sustainability – a horizon 2050 paper

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide an overview of the regenerative concept and how this can be implemented in adventure travel. It looks into the history of sustainable adventure tourism and showcases best practice examples. This study is encouraging operators within the adventure tourism industry to adopt a regenerative approach.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review on the paradigm of regenerative tourism has been conducted and applied to the adventure tourism industry. Three case studies of selected adventure tourism operators have been selected to enforce this concept.

Findings

With nature being an essential element of adventure travel, the industry has a long history in terms of sustainability. While tour operators, destination management organisations and other stakeholders are working towards sustainable products, consumers are still convenient and not willing to restrict themselves. The attitude behaviour gap is also noticeable in this segment and a rethinking is necessary. Through the pandemic and the climate crisis, among other aspects, a shift within the tourism industry is inevitable. Adventure tourism can be a role model in this process and good examples from the industry give hope for change. A concept that focuses on the solutions to address the polycrises is regenerative development, which is based on an ecological worldview and a living systems thinking and aims to restore locally visited communities and environments. Numerous operators have already taken measures to help local communities, such as starting projects for nature conservation or encouraging social justice.

Research limitations/implications

This is a conceptual review without an empirical foundation. The best-case examples are based on an Anglo-Western perspective.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide an overview of the current state of research into sustainable adventure tourism and categorise it within the concept of regenerative tourism.