Inbound tour operators are looking to make the most of the Western Cape's rapidly growing adventure tourism sector, which the province’s tourism authorities have called an “undeniable economic force”. Adventure ranked as the sixth most popular activity in the Western Cape in 2021, with 33.7% of tourists to the province engaging in the sector. 

Conservation agency, CapeNature, has identified adventure tourism as offering strong potential for income generation, and invites potential concessionaires to present business proposals every year. 

“The response rate to our annual concession advertisement has been phenomenal this year. We ran a similar advertisement in 2020/21 and we can see a massive increase in the interest from external parties. Although we cannot share details about the number of applications until the window closes, it has certainly been a healthy indication of the growth prospects of the sector,” said CapeNature Tourism Operations Manager, Fatima Borez. 

Europe is top adventure source market

Wesgro, the Western Cape’s tourism, trade and investment agency, recently conducted research into the provincial and national tourism adventure trends for 2021. 

The Adventure Tourism Trends in South Africa and the Western Cape report found that visitors engaging in adventure activities were predominantly from European markets. 

“The top-five markets, which make up nearly 60% of all international respondents who engaged in adventure activities in South Africa, are: Germany (16.2%), UK (13.9%), US (12.9%), France (7.7%), and the Netherlands (6.3%).” 

Wesgro highlighted that the “growth of adventure tourism as an economic force is undeniable. Tourists looking for unique and authentic experiences are increasingly interested in adventure, and travel to find these experiences.”

On a national level, adventure ranked as the second-most popular activity embarked upon by European tourists. A total of 59.4% of these tourists engaged in adventure tourism, only slightly behind wildlife activities at 61% of tourists.  

Adventure optimises the tourist experience

Borez pointed out that adding activities to CapeNature’s reserves greatly enhanced the experience for both day and overnight visitors. 

“We have recognised that visitors are searching for adventure activities to tick off their bucket list and to add to an enriching educational experience. Activities also lend themselves to group involvement, solo travel experiences and friend and family bonding.”

Borez added that the activities added to the tourism value chain by creating jobs. 

“Concessionaire business activities on our reserves play an important role by contributing to an increase in jobs and the skills set in our communities closest to our reserves, growing our tourism sector in the region and pumping income back into our main goal of conserving and preserving our reserves for years to come.”

An expanding market

David Marsh, founder of e-Biking Africa, which offers tours in Cape Point, the Winelands and Table Mountain National Park, said adventure tourism was being widened to new demographics.

“e-Biking, for example, is open to people of all ages, even those who last rode a bike decades ago. It is exciting to see the spirit of adventure being reignited, and it opens the adventure market up to a wider demographic.” 

Marsh pointed out that, with the US growing as a top source market, there was potential to capitalise on a growing appetite for adventure tourism from inbound US tourists. 

“Research shows that 60% of US travellers are looking to engage in some sort of experiential or adventure-based activity, so this is certainly something that our tourism market can generate immense value from.”

According to Statista, the market size of global adventure tourism reached USD288 million in 2021 and is projected to grow at a steady pace; peaking at roughly USD2.8 billion by 2030.