A positive side effect of the coronavirus pandemic is the surge in the number of people participating in active, outdoor and fitness activities. According to a 2021 study by the Outdoor Industry Association, “Under the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more Americans are turning to outdoor activities, some for the first time, and some for the first time in many years.”
More than 60% of people who started or resumed walking, biking, fishing, or running/jogging plan to continue even after the restrictions are lifted. Walking and hiking have the highest peak periods, followed by running, biking, and camping, but participation in almost all outdoor activities—from skiing to kayaking—has increased. At the same time, a research by ResearchAndMarkets.com showed that during the pandemic, purchases of home fitness equipment such as exercise bikes and treadmills increased by 170%.
As the tourism industry rebounds and Americans start taking vacations again, there is a growing interest in active travel. Companies that specialize in active travel, such as Butterfield & Robinson, Backroads, DuVine, and G Adventures, have reported record bookings in 2022 and beyond.
"We know that given the pent-up demand and the amazing growth of cycling and hiking around the world, active travel will flourish once the lockdown is lifted. But we don't know how big it will be!" Tom Hei, founder of Backroads (Tom Hale) said the company advertises itself as the largest active travel operator in the United States. "We are now experiencing unprecedented demand. Compared with 2022 and 2019, our business has grown by more than 100%. This is the last year of travel before the global pandemic."
Not long ago, this niche market also revolved around a week of cycling or hiking to a few popular destinations such as Tuscany, Burgundy, and California wine country for professional enthusiasts. Nowadays, with the proliferation of destinations and various trips, options abound.
There are now niche travels suitable for all desires and abilities, to established destinations and emerging destinations around the world. For everyone who likes to be outdoors, whether they have a closet full of Lycra or not, they can find the real thing.
There are many out-of-the-box active holidays that consumers may not know or even exist, and these five surprising areas have aroused increasing interest.
Traditional guided tours will stay in a hotel for a few nights and then move on to the next one, but the recent trend is to use floating bases that move with the group instead.
“If you’ve ever done a peer-to-peer trip, you’ll know that it feels like you spend time unpacking and repacking,” Andy Levine, founder of DuVine, a clothing company that specializes in cycling, hiking, and gourmet experiences (Andy Levine) said.
The ship also allows exploration of other hard-to-reach areas. "The goal of every DuVine trip is to show travelers places they might not be able to find on their own. We feel that in places like Greece and Turkey, the routes we really want to show are scattered across the islands, so we use private yachts as The center allows us to anchor in hidden ports with a small population," he pointed out.
DuVine has "Cycle + Sail" group tours (and private charters) in Greece, Turkey and Sardinia.
Backroads has always been the pioneer of "Active Cruises", especially European river barges. These smaller boats allow guests to explore inland European cities along famous waterways such as the Danube, Rhine, Doro and Seine.
Backroads also uses ocean-going ships to provide biking and trekking/trekking in more unusual places such as Iceland, Japan, the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon, as well as Vietnam and Cambodia.
The company’s latest news is "All Ship Departure". In these respects, “Backroads provides their guests with a luxurious river boat, who enjoy the fun of classic bicycles, composed of 150 like-minded travelers,” spokesperson Liz Enbinder explained. Nine new full-ship tours will be added next year, including Bordeaux wine country and the Netherlands and Belgium.
Rifugios ("refuge" in Italian) is a symbol of the Alps and is an alpine restaurant, many of which provide accommodation. These are personally owned and traditionally focused on regional cuisine-Swiss hot pot and sausages, Dolomites polenta and sausages-usually very reasonable prices and beautiful scenery. They are loved by hikers and are a great place for you to enjoy a delicious hot lunch. You don’t need to take it with you, or a rest stop for coffee and dessert or beer and wine.
But increasingly, they are used as halfway points for multi-day mountain trips in summer and winter to maximize the time of nature and eliminate transfers from the starting point to hotels in the town below. There are more full-service hotels on the mountain than "huts", and rifugio accommodation ranges from dormitory-style to luxurious. Some offer hot tubs and saunas, but almost all feature decks, beautiful views and delicious alpine cuisine. However, compared to traditional hotels, they are generally more affordable and memorable.
Kimberly Rubio of the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Italian Dolomites (Dolomites) skiing, hiking and cycling vacation expert, said: “Compared with staying in a hotel, You are more involved in your surroundings.” As the Dolomites are particularly concentrated and have the world’s largest interconnected ski lift and piste network, the Dolomiti Superski, this is the place for hut-to-hut trips and trips to the Dolomites. One of the most popular areas, suitable for alpine or backcountry skiers, cyclists (road, mountain or electric bikes) and hikers.
The cabin-to-hut trip is special because it combines the following elements: beautiful scenery, wonderful food and drinks, comfortable rifugio accommodation, enthusiastic hosts, active experience of nature, while enjoying the comfort of creatures-all without the need Carry a heavy backpack" (the tour operator moves your luggage).
Although a week-long hut trip is very popular in the Dolomites, in other parts of the Alps, huts are usually combined with town hotels on famous hiking routes, such as the Mont Blanc (Switzerland, France and Italy) .
South America and Patagonia have similar rifugios, while in the Rocky Mountains, Norway and Iceland, more country houses are widely used for multi-day trips. Wildland Trekking is a leading operator that provides cabin travel services worldwide.
A few years ago, all leading bicycle companies began to increase the options for electric bicycles and electric-assisted electric models. These models still need to step on the pedals, but they can do a lot of work for you. This promotes multi-generational and multi-capable travel, as grandparents who occasionally ride bikes can keep up with their more active children and grandchildren, while less enthusiastic bikers can travel with avid friends.
But electric bicycles have become so popular that some companies have begun to specialize in electric bicycle travel. The level playing field eliminates any sense of judgment or competition and attracts travelers who may be intimidated by the idea of joining a group of hardcore enthusiasts.
Butterfield & Robinson is a clothing company that is widely believed to have invented the entire bicycle tour type in 1966 and is now the leader of all electric bicycles. He pointed out that "electric bicycle technology allows everyone to reach the top."
For example, its 8-day Ishikawa bike tour in Japan was rated as activity level 4 (Avid) on the company's 5-point scale, but the same itinerary of the all-electric bike tour was rated as level 2 (leisure). Butterfield currently offers six different group electric bike road trips, as well as self-service electric mountain bike trips in the Italian Dolomites. Other e-bike destinations: Morocco, Switzerland, Spain, Majorca, Switzerland and Alsace in eastern France. Of course, there is also a classic cycling tour: the wine country of Tuscany.
Celebrating 30 years of operation, Escape Adventures offers a variety of affordable domestic all-electric bike tours, stating: “Our electric bike (road and mountain bike) holidays are designed for first-time cyclists and those who want to bring a bike. Designed for experienced enthusiasts. Hardly anyone who rides a bicycle."
Their iconic destination for road and mountain biking is the stunning southwestern Utah, including Bryce National Park and Zion National Park. At the same time, they are also doing mountain biking tours in Moab, Utah, which is the world’s One of the most famous off-road destinations. Uniquely, they also offer one-day electric bike road trips outside of Las Vegas, reflecting another emerging active travel trend, namely the growth of urban mini-adventures.
Some people like to shop, sunbathe or visit art museums during the holidays, but one thing every traveler will do is eat. Over the years, people’s interest in all things cooking has been booming, so it makes sense to combine it with sports activities in one trip to make two great trips-in addition, many people “make money while exercising” It feels better to enjoy something like "ice cream."
Over the years, Tourissimo, an Italian hiking and biking expert based in Boston and Italy, has organized a series of tours led by famous chefs. Guests can interact with culinary celebrities they might only see on TV every day, and join them in cooking classes and special meals.
A famous bicycle chef who has hosted many annual Tourissimo trips is Mary Sue Milliken. She is a cookbook author, co-founder of Border Grill restaurant, co-star of the long-time TV broadcast "Too Hot Tamales", as well as James Beard and Winner of the Julia Child Award. "What can be better than the guilt-free diet that comes with daily exercise?" Milliken asked. Four regional chef bike tours will be offered in 2022, including tours of Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Sardinia and Piedmont, which are also open to hikers.
Backroads conducts "Active Culinary" hiking and trekking in France and Italy, showcasing market and farm visits, and private cooking classes, while DuVine also provides "Chef on Wheels" bicycle tours in several regions in Italy.
"I believe that every region can be showcased through its cuisine and terroir. All our travels focus on cooking, but we know that the gastronomic experience may be a driving factor for some travelers. We have seen expanded exclusivity and amazing Because of the opportunity of the factors, our professional tourism was born,” said Levine of DuVine. "These trips focus on cutting-edge food and wine activities, filling every moment of cycling with culinary activities-sometimes cycling, providing the opportunity to ride with our special guests!"
Most active top tour operators attach great importance to regional food and beverages, including winery visits and tastings, and Backroads includes Michelin-starred meals in many of its regular itineraries. Dolomite Mountains offers a special "Gourmet Ski Safari" centered on food, as well as a summer hiking version, combining the traditional cuisine of rustic alpine huts with the town’s Michelin-starred restaurants.
Nowadays, many travelers are no longer keen on cycling or hiking, but are interested in trying new and different sports activities.
For this reason, the major active tour operators have greatly expanded multisport tourism, combining different pursuits, usually including biking and hiking, but also adding other options such as kayaking or stand-up paddle surfing, Snorkeling, zipline or ferrata (a safer way of climbing via cable), white water rafting, yoga or surfing lessons.
A few years ago, Backroads added a new winter multi-sport travel lineup, combining snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dog sledding, winter hiking, horseback riding, and crampon-equipped glacier walking. The location is from Tetons, Wyoming. To Canada and Scandinavia.
G Adventures is an active travel company that provides more affordable travel, offering a range of multi-sport travels around the world, including caving (caving) in Spain and rope descent in New Zealand.
But perhaps the most unusual multisport mashup is DuVine's recently added Scottish Golf + Bike Tour. Levine said: "It combines two completely different leisure pursuits, but you will be surprised by the overlap of interests! St Andrews, Scotland is the home of golf and is obviously a must-see for golf tourism. But it is also a must for cycling. It’s a great place. You might ride a bike or bike to landmarks such as castles and cathedrals on the coast between championship courses.”
Editor's note: Travel and food writer Larry Olmsted and Tourissimo, one of the travel outfitters mentioned in this story, led a culinary-themed trip.