Ask the Tour Operator: How Do You Approach Adventure Travel for Women?

Article link:
http://www.ntaonline.com/articles/index.cfm?action=view&articleID=2654&menuID=791#Headline3

Debra Asberry and her Maryland-based company, Women Traveling Together, take clients on tours that include adventurous activities: ziplining in Costa Rica, jet-boat riding in New Zealand, hiking in Montana and diving in South Florida. Because her clientele is female, Asberry looks at this type of travel differently, so we asked:

How do you approach adventure travel for women?
"We prefer ‘experiential travel,' because ‘adventure' scares people off, particularly women," Asberry said. "It is good to get outside your comfort zone—to try something different—and we help take women there."

Asberry said the adventure experience isn't necessarily the focus of the tour, but a special experience—a taste. "It's all about the taste, where we introduce our travelers to kayaking or horseback riding," she said. "If you work these types of experiences into existing product, you'll attract different clients."

For more insight from Asberry, see this Q&A with her in the May issue of Courier magazine.