The importance of 'travelling local' in adventure sports
24th March 2010
As the local travel movement gathers pace, and debates rage, we thought it was time to wade-in with the adventure sports perspective and suggest a few other good reasons why participants have plenty to gain from following a 'go local' approach.
Whatever your interests and motives for travelling, the benefits of local travel are well documented and often screamingly obvious - get to know the real people and places you are visiting, and ensure your trip provides maximum benefit to them too. In the realm of adventure sports, these two tenets of local knowledge and local involvement in adventure tourism become even more imperative.
Let us deal first with the importance of local knowledge. Who would set off from home to climb a Himalayan peak without first consulting the local mountaineering community? Surf a new break without talking to the local surfers? Head out on a ski tour without getting the local perspective on current conditions and routing? A guide book can get you so far, but it is only by talking to the local sports community that you can ever discover the best spots, the best times to go, and avoid the local, often unpredictable, dangers. Best still, employing well respected local guides and hosts can turn a great trip into an unforgettable one - allowing you to maximise your available time, while no doubt helping you avoid a few nightmare moments in unchartered territory! This is well known and fairly self evident to all who regularly practise adventure sports, and brings us neatly onto more complex issues surrounding local involvement.
'Localism' - locals becoming aggressive and threatening towards new visitors at their local spot is a problem many have come across (perhaps most widely among surfing communities, though certainly not limited to there). In some cases, this is understandable. As adventure sports uptake continues to grow, and mass adventure tourism herds’ people into a growing number of 'must-do' spots, the locals can often feel crowded out and alienated in their own back yard. This is where 'going local' and travelling with well-respected local guides and hosts can get you access and insights into places and people that you simply would not be able to otherwise. It also gives 'ownership' back to the locals as proud hosts and stewards of their area, more likely to welcome respectful visitors to share and experience their natural playground.
Perhaps less widely appreciated is the importance to conservation of local 'ownership' of their adventure travel industry. Adventure sports travel naturally involves interacting with some of the most pristine eco systems on earth, from marine reserves to mountain parks. All other environmental arguments aside, protecting these areas is vital to our continued enjoyment of them - something that no true adventure aficionado can deny. By developing an adventure travel industry with the local population as the main stakeholder and economic beneficiary, you suddenly have the perfect incentive for the local communities to become engaged in the protection and preservation of the natural conditions at these spots.
Experience, access and sustainability. Three very good reasons why the adventure world as a whole - traveller, host and intermediary - should all being looking to go local at every opportunity. I'm sure there are plenty more beyond this quick summary, so looking forward to hearing other peoples thoughts on this.
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3 Comments
On 1st April 2010 Raj Gyawali said:
You could not have put it better Alex, well written...
As local operators in Nepal, I think the long term sustainability of this approach is vastly important. Also, there are other aspects. I give an example from rafting industry in Nepal. About 14 years ago, there were hardly any local raft guides, and the companies running rafting in Nepal were mostly foreign run. Guides mostly came from New Zealand, Canada etc. Over the years, as local travel got more popular and clients started patronizing local companies, a new breed of local guides started getting exposure, and this has resulted in now a huge demand for local talent worldwide, creating pride in Nepal, and sustainable growth of the rafting industry. This is true for almost every adventure sport in Nepal!
Kudos on a well written article!
On 8th April 2010 The Resort at Isla Palenque said:
This is very intuitive article, Alex.
As developers of The Resort at Isla Palenque, we believe that connecting with the locals is important for tourists to become fully immersed in the culture of a new place. The Ngobe Bugle people located near the island of Isla Palenque in Chiriqui are more knowledgeable about their area than anyone who would venture into a place with information from guide books. With regards to adventure travel, the locals are more familiar with the fish, wildlife, trees, landscapes and paths that would truly bring out the sportsman in every person. It is key for people taking part in adventure travel to have a memorable experience that they will share with others.
On 9th July 2010 Travel Agent Help said:
The above thought is smart and doesn’t require any further addition.
It’s perfect thought from my side.
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Travel Agent Help