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Soft adventure trends
The trend in soft adventure trips is to broaden the experience, says Paul Lehman, an avid traveler who partnered with Dan Austin in 2000 to create Austin-Lehman Adventures.
Traditionally, the company has offered hiking and biking experiences or multi-sport activities throughout North America.
“But we’re getting more into things like cooking lessons, visits with artisans and learning to do weaving,” he said.
Business is up 20% this year, he said. One reason may be that traditional agent commissions of 12% this year were increased to 15%.
“We wanted to encourage our travel agent community. We can give them total quality assurance that once a guest is in our hands, the travel agent has nothing to worry about,” he said.
Among the most popular destinations these days is Costa Rica. The company also offers trips to Montana. Yellowstone National Park may be the most popular trip this year.
Business is down for Canadian tours, Mr Lehman said. “People seem more comfortable with other areas. I don’t really know why,” he said.
Report by David Wilkening
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