PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1806481
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1806481
An outdoor vacation is a travel experience centered around engaging with natural environments and participating in activities such as hiking, camping, or wildlife observation. It focuses on spending time in natural settings to enjoy recreational, adventurous, or relaxing pursuits, often with minimal urban interference and a strong emphasis on interacting with the outdoors.
The main types of outdoor vacations include volunteering trips, culinary tours, leisure tours, heritage trips, and others. Volunteering trips involve travel where participants engage in community service or environmental projects, combining vacationing with contributing to meaningful causes, such as building homes or teaching local communities. Travelers for these vacations can be couples, families, solo adventurers, or groups of various age groups, including Generation Z, millennials, Generation X, and baby boomers. Bookings for outdoor vacations can be arranged through different modes, such as travel agents or online travel agencies.
Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.
The sudden escalation of U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade tensions in spring 2025 are significantly affecting the recreation sector, especially in the supply of imported sports gear, outdoor equipment, and leisure products. Manufacturers and retailers are grappling with increased costs for goods like bicycles, camping supplies, fitness equipment, and gaming consoles-many of which rely heavily on international supply chains with few domestic alternatives. Small recreational retailers are particularly vulnerable, with some cutting back on stock or raising prices to manage shrinking profit margins. Event organizers and recreational venues are also experiencing rising costs for imported materials and equipment. In response, the industry is shifting toward suppliers in non-tariff regions, boosting local procurement efforts, and advocating for tariff exemptions on widely used recreational goods.
The outdoor vacation market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides outdoor vacation market statistics, including outdoor vacation industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a outdoor vacation market share, detailed outdoor vacation market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the outdoor vacation industry. This outdoor vacation market research report delivers a complete perspective on everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.
The outdoor vacation market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $841.01 billion in 2024 to $1009.43 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.0%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in disposable income levels, growing awareness about health, rising interest in adventure and experiential travel, support and promotion of tourism by government bodies, and growth in middle-class spending.
The outdoor vacation market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2060.03 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to the rise of remote work and digital nomadism, improvements in global transportation networks, demand for high-quality outdoor gear, increasing interest in ecotourism, and growing awareness of climate change impacts encouraging eco-friendly and nature-based travel choices. Major trends in the forecast period include the adoption of IoT and artificial intelligence-based technology, rising use of virtual reality (VR) technology, increasing adoption of contactless payments, growth in mobile payment solutions, and a rise in integrated payment systems.
The forecast of 19.5% growth over the next five years reflects a modest reduction of 0.3% from the previous estimate for this market. This reduction is primarily due to the impact of tariffs between the US and other countries. Tariffs on camping gear, travel equipment, and off-road vehicle parts may increase costs for outfitters and limit consumer access to affordable outdoor vacations. The effect will also be felt more widely due to reciprocal tariffs and the negative effect on the global economy and trade due to increased trade tensions and restrictions.
The growing trend of adventurous tourism is expected to drive the growth of the outdoor vacation market in the coming years. Adventure tourism involves travel that incorporates physical activities, exploration, or visits to remote or exotic locations, often offering excitement and challenges. This rise in adventure tourism reflects an increasing consumer demand for unique, immersive experiences, a desire for personal challenges, and better accessibility to previously remote destinations. Outdoor vacations complement adventure tourism by providing varied, immersive environments for activities such as hiking, climbing, and kayaking, which appeal to adventure enthusiasts and support the sector's growth. For example, in May 2023, according to UN Tourism, a Spain-based specialized agency of the United Nations promoting globally accessible tourism, international arrivals in the first quarter of 2023 reached 80% of pre-pandemic levels, with around 235 million tourists traveling internationally in the first three months-more than double the number from the same period in 2022. Therefore, the shift towards adventure tourism is expected to propel the growth of the outdoor vacation market.
Key companies in the outdoor vacation market are focusing on advanced travel services, including adventure tours, to attract thrill-seekers and adventure enthusiasts by offering unique experiences. Adventure tours provide a range of exciting and immersive activities, from hiking and wildlife safaris to extreme sports. For instance, in March 2024, Trek Travel, a US-based tour company, introduced new hiking and walking tours featuring destinations such as Italy's Cinque Terre, Scotland, Portugal, and Ireland. These tours offer guests premium accommodations, fine dining, and expert guides, delivering a remarkable adventure experience.
In March 2024, Travel + Leisure Co., a US-based leisure travel services company, acquired Accor Vacation Club for an undisclosed sum. With this acquisition, Travel + Leisure Co. aims to expand its business and enhance customer experiences by adding new travel services. The company also plans to strengthen its presence in the vacation ownership market. Accor Vacation Club is an Australia-based vacation ownership company that provides timeshare and vacation club memberships.
Major companies operating in the outdoor vacation market are American Express, Expedia Inc., Recreational Equipment Inc., Travel + Leisure, World Travel Inc., Abercrombie & Kent USA LLC, Intrepid Travel, Thomas Cook, Kensington Tours Ltd., G Adventures, Micato Safaris, Backroads, Autocamp, Hipcamp Inc., Butterfield & Robinson, Zicasso, Exodus Travels Limited, Scott Dunn Ltd., JTB Americas Ltd., Austin Adventures, Cox & Kings, Outdoor Travel Adventures
North America was the largest region in the outdoor vacation market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the outdoor vacation market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.
The countries covered in the outdoor vacation market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.
The outdoor vacation market includes revenues earned by entities through accommodation services, guided tours, activities, and transportation services. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Outdoor Vacation Global Market Report 2025 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses on outdoor vacation market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for outdoor vacation ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The outdoor vacation market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the technological advancements such as AI and automation, Russia-Ukraine war, trade tariffs (government-imposed import/export duties), elevated inflation and interest rates.