AdventureWeek, a specialized, nine-day familiarization (FAM) journey coordinated by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, will debut in Europe, deep in the ancient cultural crossroads and rugged lands of the Western Balkans featuring Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia between August 26 and September 3, 2014.
The three Southeastern European destinations are engaged in a precedent-setting, cooperative strategy to raise awareness of the adventure potential of the region among international outbound operators, specialized travel agents and international travel journalists.
The ATTA, which has intensified its work in the region over the past two years, will screen up to 25 hosted participants for AdventureWeek. A core component of the trip is a chance for buyers to meet with a group of local operators in each destination in a half-day “marketplace” to foster an understanding of the market and begin partnership building.
“The strength of AdventureWeek is that it is designed by adventure travel experts for adventure sellers,” said ATTA President Mr. Shannon Stowell “AdventureWeek has proven to be very effective concept in providing destinations with unmatched opportunities to expose their breadth of product to, and to learn, partner and conduct business with a highly qualified group of international buyers and media.
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The nine-day itinerary will feature approximately three days in each country with a mix of activities related to history, culture and adventure. Participants will visit a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, enjoy slow-food meals in rural settings and learn about cuisine from local providers, and have access to hiking, biking, rock climbing, rafting, and paragliding.
In Spring 2014 the ATTA delivered a two-day ATTA AdventureEDU education and training program in Macedonia to help the region better prepare to receive international arrivals. This combined with the Western Balkans’ presence at the ATTA’s 2014 Adventure Travel World Summit in Killarney, Ireland, October 6-9, is part of a new collaborative process between the ATTA, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), government tourism agencies and other public and private organizations and companies from Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia.
Adventure Travel Trade Association, www.adventuretravel.biz