Re-invention of the hiking industry, 9th World Congress Snow & Mountain Tourism

BEST FOOT FORWARD
THE RE-INVENTION OF THE HIKING INDUSTRY
#mountainlikers #unwto @cathyodowd
9TH WORLD
CONGRESS OF
SNOW AND MOUNTAIN TOURISM
SANT JULIA, ANDORRA
3 APRIL 2016

9th World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism
SHORT
TERM TRENDS
CONTAIN GOOD
NEWS

THE
OUTDOOR
MARKET IS
GROWING
RAPIDLY
https://www.sportengland.org/media/3275/outdoors-participation-report-v2-lr-spreads.pdf

HIKING
IS A GATEWAY
ACTIVITY
BRINGING IN NEW
PARTICIPANTS

ADVENTUROUS PEOPLE TURN TO
HILL WALKING WITH AGE.
IT ENABLES THEM TO CONTINUE  
BEING ONE OF THE TRIBE.
Emily Rodway, editor TGO
HIKING
IS THE
ACTIVITY PEOPLE
RETURN TO  
WITH AGE

http://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/chapter2.aspx
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/18/how-taking-a-hike-can-mak_n_5584809.html
HIKING
IS GOOD FOR
PHYSICAL
HEALTH

http://www.mind.org.uk/media/2976123/how-to-improve-your-wellbeing-through-physical-activity-and-sport.pdf 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21495519 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.aspx
http://www.outsideonline.com/2048391/adhd-fuel-adventure 
HIKING
IS GOOD FOR
MENTAL
HEALTH

CORE
MARKET WHITE
WEALTHY
OLDER

THE
KEY HIKING
DEMOGRAPHIC
IS GROWING

SHORT
TERM TRENDS
CONTAIN GOOD
NEWS
‣ outdoor market growing rapidly
‣ good for physical health
‣ good for mental health
‣ the outdoor activity people are most likely to begin with
‣ the activity people return to in older age
‣ core demographic older & wealthy
‣ core demographic growing

HOW WE
MARKET TO
HIKERS IS
CHANGING

IT’S NOT
ENOUGH TO
HAVE A
WEBSITE

http://www.outsidemediakit.com/audience_circulation.php
TRADITIONAL
OUTDOOR MEDIA
IS IN DECLINE

SOCIAL
MEDIA STARS
ARE ON THE
RISE

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3054309/behind-the-brand/
how-the-north-face-uses-hardcore-exploration-to-inspire-everybody-else?
http://www.outsideonline.com/2027506/pics-or-it-didnt-happen
SOCIAL
MEDIA OFFERS
NEW MARKETING
AVENUES

HIKING
CLIENTS WANT
TO SHARE THE
EXPERIENCE

WE NEED TO ADD VALUE, TO OFFER THINGS THE
CLIENTS CAN’T EASILY ARRANGE THEMSELVES.
Pär Lindholm, owner Active Spain
WE RUN TRIPS THAT ARE VERY
WELL RESEARCHED AND WE ARE
CAREFUL WITH OUR UNIQUE SELLING
POINTS,
WE CHARGE A BIT MORE BUT OUR
CLIENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY
ARE PAYING FOR.
MOST OF OUR CLIENTS ARE LOYAL.
Julia Tregaskis-Allen,
co-founder Tracks and Trails
I WORK WITH CHOIRS IN THE UK TO OFFER SINGING AND HIKING
HOLIDAYS, AND WITH YOGA TEACHERS. A LOT OF FINDING THE RIGHT
NETWORKS IS DONE VIA FACEBOOK GROUPS.
Tanya Perrett, founder Live Breathe Hike
HIKERS
WANT AN
ENRICHED
EXPERIENCE

IN UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT NEEDS
AND MOTIVES OF HIKERS,
WE NEED TO INVEST IN A NEW QUALITY OF
HIKING EXPERIENCE RELATED TO
INFRASTRUCTURE, TRAILS AND DESTINATIONS.
http://www.wanderstudie.projectm.de
FRANZISKA THIELE
TOURIST
DESTINATIONS
NEED TO
INVEST

LONG
TERM TRENDS
CONTAIN BAD
NEWS

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Percentage_of_Population_Living_in_urban_areas_1950-2050.png
URBAN
LIVING
RELENTLESSLY
ON THE RISE

WE NEED
TO GET YOUNG
PEOPLE
OUTDOORS

WE
REACH
YOUNGSTERS
THROUGH
FAMILY

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2307431/Children-today-read-chores-HOMEWORK-play-outside.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health
TODAY’S
KIDS STAY
INDOORS

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481299/mene-headline-report-2014-15.pdf
DOGS
GET OUT
MORE THAN
KIDS DO

http://www.cnet.com/news/climbing-in-virtual-reality/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3019511/ces/
everest-vr-demo-triggered-my-fear-of-heights-and-nearly-brought-me-to-my-knees.html
VIRTUAL
REALITY TAKES
YOU OUTDOORS
FROM THE
SOFA

VIRTUAL
REALITY IS
SMALL NOW BUT
THAT WILL
CHANGE
Mark Zuckerberg
"WE BELIEVE THIS KIND OF IMMERSIVE,
AUGMENTED REALITY WILL BECOME A PART OF
DAILY LIFE FOR BILLIONS OF PEOPLE."
http://www.inc.com/graham-winfrey/mark-zuckerberg-virtual-reality.html

PEOPLE
PERCEIVE THE
OUTDOORS AS
CROWDED
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/Tourist-traps-the-worlds-most-crowded-places/crowd-machu/
SUMMIT RIDGE OF EVEREST

“MONT BLANC IS A HEAP OF GARBAGE, A MOUNTAIN COVERED
WITH THE CRAP, URINE AND DETRITUS OF THE LAST 50 YEARS.”
Jean-Marc Peillex,
mayor of Saint-Gervais
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/popularity-of-mont-blanc-makes-climbing-it-more-dangerous-a-990885.html
NEGATIVE
IMPACT OF
GROWING
NUMBERS

https://barefootandrunningblind.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/utmb-ultra-trail-du-mud-bath/
“MONT BLANC IS A HEAP OF GARBAGE, A MOUNTAIN COVERED
WITH THE CRAP, URINE AND DETRITUS OF THE LAST 50 YEARS.”
Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/popularity-of-mont-blanc-makes-climbing-it-more-dangerous-a-990885.html
NEGATIVE
IMPACT OF
GROWING
NUMBERS

LONG
TERM TRENDS
CONTAIN BAD
NEWS
‣ the world is increasingly urban
‣ those who start young stay with outdoor sports
‣ but children less and less likely to spend time outdoors
‣ virtual reality aims to provide the drama without the effort
‣ people perceive outdoor areas as overcrowded
‣ and the rise in numbers is doing real damage

HOW CAN
THE MARKET BE
EXPANDED?

CORE
MARKET LIMITED
TO HEALTHY
WEALTHY
WHITE

EUROPEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN
MARKET IS 98% OF THE BUSINESS.
TOURISTS OUT OF ASIA ARE A
POTENTIAL BOOM MARKET,
ESPECIALLY THE CHINESE.
I HAVE HAD ONE GROUP LIKE THAT
AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A
NIGHTMARE, BECAUSE OF LANGUAGE
AND CULTURAL BARRIERS.
South African hiking guide
LANGUAGE
& CULTURAL
BARRIERS TO
EXPANDING
MARKET

MILLENNIUM HIKES, AN INITIATIVE AIMED AT
DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL CROSS-CULTURAL
HIKES AS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PRODUCTS
Catherine Germier-Hamel, CEO, Millennium Destinations
NEED
CREATIVE
INITIATIVES TO
EXPAND
MARKET
http://www.millennium-destinations.com/millennium-tours.html

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GUIDE 15 NOISY KIDS?
YOU WANT TO GUIDE ONE PERSON FOR DOUBLE THE
MONEY AND A FRACTION OF THE HASSLE.
BLACK PEOPLE DON’T CLIMB ROCKS,
THE WHOLE IDEA OF GOING OUT THERE IS A WHITE
MIDDLE-CLASS CONCEPT.
South African hiking guide
BARRIERS
TO ENTRY ARE
COMPLEX

http://www.outdoorafro.com
http://gripped.com/routes/kai-lightner-joins-the-9a-club-with-era-vella/
OUR
ASSUMPTIONS
ARE OFTEN
WRONG

FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY
DOING THESE THINGS.
RATHER THAN HAVING PRIVILEGED, WELL-
INTENTIONED WHITE PEOPLE COMING INTO
THESE COMMUNITIES AND SAYING THIS IS
GOOD FOR YOU,
HAVE PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
SAYING “HEY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
HAS BROUGHT JOY TO MY LIFE.”
LET IT COME FROM WITHIN THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD.
http://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Gap-Changing-Face-Outdoors/dp/1594858683/
http://joytripproject.com/
James Mills, The Joy Trip Project
FIND
AMBASSADORS
INSIDE NEW
MARKETS

HIKING
STARTS IN
URBAN SPACES

HOW CAN
THE MARKET BE
EXPANDED?
‣ look beyond the core demographic
‣ ﬁnd creative way to overcome language & cultural barriers
‣ don’t write off underrepresented groups
‣ look for hiking ambassadors within marginalised communities
‣ push for renovation of urban outdoor space
‣ hiking starts close to home

HIKING
OFFERS HUGE
POTENTIAL FOR
GROWTH

INDUSTRY
LACKS UNITED
VOICE &
CUSTOMER
FOCUS

#mountainlikers #unwto @cathyodowd
MANY OPPORTUNITIES BUT A
COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT
BEST FOOT FORWARD
THE RE-INVENTION OF THE HIKING INDUSTRY

Cathy O'Dowd
FIND OUT MORE AT:
WEB: CATHYODOWD.COM
TWITTER: @CATHYODOWD
INSTAGRAM: CATHY_ODOWD
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Re-invention of the hiking industry, 9th World Congress Snow & Mountain Tourism

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