A Research Project
I chose to research adventure travel, and the business side to it. My UNC library searches were limited, so I broadened that aspect of my topic to just adventure travel without the business side.
I know that adventure travel is relatively popular, since I have been on some trips myself and have friends who have as well. I have also read that more and more people are getting into adventure sports, and have begun using their vacation time to take active trips rather than just relaxing on a beach. I know of a few adventure travel companies and web sites that can help people get organized to take trips as well.
Things that I wanted to know more about are how big the market is for this industry and how much it’s grown over the years. I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of web sites there are out there that can give people information on where to go and what to do for some fun trips. It would also be interesting to find out, by browsing through web sites, if there’s a destination or activity that gets more attention than others do.
My audience is anyone who, like me, is interested in exploring new places n a more active level. Someone who wants to see beyond the beach resort and really experience what’s around them, and at the same time get an adrenaline rush.
Key
Words
UNC Library:
Travel AND (Adventure or Wilderness)
Adventure AND Travel
Wilderness AND Training
(Adventure or Outdoor) and Tour!
Wilderness AND Travel AND Business
Adventure AND Sports AND Company
Adventure AND Travel AND BusinessOutdoor
Trip Company
Section
II: UNC Library Sources:
1.
Title: Info Hub: Specialty Travel Guide
Address: http://biztravel.com/
Description: A portal for specialty travel, Its main page has categories of the types of travel you may
want to pursue, whether it’s soft adventure or nature and wildlife, or
you can search by destination. From
those links, the site hooks you up to businesses that offer trips of that
type. The site lists prices, lengths of trips, trip
location, and a general itinerary for each vacation. The also provide a star rating for each trip
and can connect you to the sales desk of that travel company. They explicity
state that they are not a middle man.
Source: InfoHub
Address: http://adventuresports.com/
Description: This site caters to the outdoor sport enthusiast.
It has an online marketplace that can link you to sites that sell
gear of every kind, links to lots of outdoor touring companies and tips
and general resource links. They have a special event calendar that lists
by category, such as mountain biking, what’s going on in the upcoming
weeks around the country. They
also have a link to deals on trips, clothing and supplies.
The site also features a keyword search.
Source: Outdoor Mind LLC
3. Title: Exploitz.com! Travel and Adventure Guide
Address: http://www.exploitz.com/
Description: The opening page of this site lists each continent with
subheadings of that continent’s countries underneath. You can take each country’s ling and open to
pages that have links to tours, places to stay, a heritage site of that
country, the current weather as well as pictures from past trips. Along the right hand side of the opening page
are links to pictures of places all around the world. The site also lists health and terrorists advisories,
if there are any, for the country that you look up.
Source: Exploitz.com
4. Title: Gorp.com
Address: http://gorp.com/index.html
Description: Gorp.com calls itself an encyclopedic resource for outdoor
recreation. Tat the top of its
page, it has links to articles about travel,
such as the top 10 places to ski, with brief descriptions of that article
under the title link. Beneath that
online magazine-style spread, they have a special featured destination,
as “Ask the Gear Guy” and a “Wild File” that answers questions ranging
from the subject of evolution to the history of weather patterns.
Beneath these informational sections are links to destinations,
gear, activities, parks, editors picks and interests
that you can jump to. They also
have sites for outdoor books, gear ad special GORP vacations and downloadable
GOPRtravel catalogs, as well as deals from sites like REI.com,
which sells outdoor supplies.
Source: GORP
5. Title: Adventure Travel Abroad
Address: http://www.adventureabroad.com/search.cfm
Descpription: Adventure Travel Abroad is an outlet of GoAbroad.com, which provides all kinds
of information about studying and traveling abroad. At the top of the Adventures Abroad page, you
can search by destination or adventure to find the trip you want to set
up. Below this are featured programs,
like Fiji Sailing Adventure Tour or Tropical Marine Ecology in Austrailia. Clicking
on these links will take you to a page that fully describes the program,
outlining its costs and how to learn more.
On the left side bar, there are program searches, like study abroad,
volunteer abroad and Eco/Adventure. There
are also links to travel guides, a currency converter, embassies and travel insurance information. You can also sign up to receive a goabroad newsletter.
Source: Goabroad.com
Section
V: Mini Essay
Is
E-ticketing the Way to Go?
Travel agents used ot be the source for getting affordable airline tickets, but today people are using the internet because of the three C’s: cost, convenience and control (1). But is e-ticketing the best way to go for consumers? And what about the airlines themselves?
The internets is convenient, but airline ticketing isn’t completely automated yet. E-tickets are binding and to change your flight, the fee can be hefty. If you need real help while online, the only option is to visit the ticket counter for person-to-person assistance. Otherwise, you are generally booking your ticket through a middle man, like Orbitz.com, who isn’t completely knowledgeable about the airline you’re using, and can’t provide you with especially good customer service (2).
Airlines have been reducing or eliminating their travel agency fees over the past year, causing many travel agents to increase their fees in order to combat losses. Research shows, however, that agents are still competitive with internet prices. TOPAZ International Ltd., an air-fare auditing company, found that going through a travel agency was on average $119 cheaper than internet booking prices (1). The research company said it’s a “crapshoot” whether or not you’ll really get the best fare online. Unless you’re planning a simple trip and you’re flexible, the internet might no be the best option (1).
Internet-booking may be hurting airlines as well. Now that so many people are aware of online deals, there is more bargain-hunting for tickets, which has driven ticket prices down. Because of this, airlines may lose more than they’ve been saving since they cut agency commission rates. Average domestic fare prices have dropped and so have airline revenues. Delta’s earnings were %17 lower in 2001 than the previous year (3).
Regardless, people love the convenience and control of the internet,
and airline companies continue to encourage online booking.
It remains to be seen how both business and consumer will be affected
by the internet.
Notes:
(1) Volke,
Matt. “Finding the Lowest Fairs; Don’t Assume Internet Travel Sites Have
the Best Prices.” The
1.
Title: NBTA Urges DOT to address Corporate Access to Web Airfares
Address: http://www.nbta.org/info/pressreleases_2_13.htm
Description: Addresses discounted airfares being offered to everyone
over the internet.
Source: National Business Travel Association
2.
Title: Access to Orbitz Fares Broadened
Address: http://ecommerce.internet.com/news/news/article/0,,103751135741,00.html
Description: Travel agents will be able to have complete access to
Orbitz
Source: internet.com
Address: http://www.etopaz.com/internet.html
Description: Discusses the research the Topaz company did on internet fares versus agency prices for airline
tickets.
Source: Topaz International, Ltd.