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European destinations and outdoor specialists set to
benefit from major market growth from international travellers looking for an
activity holiday
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Newly enhanced Outdooractive portal provides a
comprehensive resource for specialty travel trade professionals and enthusiasts
alike – boasting 450,000 routes and a combined community of 7.3 million outdoor
enthusiasts
Bavaria-based Outdooractive, Europe’s largest outdoor portal for hiking,
cycling, mountain biking and skiing, has acquired UK-based ViewRanger, featuring
a range of additional destinations and exceptional routes and trails, across
the globe.
ViewRanger, which is based in
Cambridgeshire, in the UK, is a GPS navigation app which
runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Android smartphones and watches.It is used
by more than 4.6 million explorers around the world to plan, navigate, and
share outdoor adventures.
ViewRanger also works with more than 600 organisations – including
national parks and major outdoor brands – who publish and promote route guides
through the app; and is used and trusted by more than 500 Search and Rescue
teams across Europe, the US and Canada.
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| wimmer-hartmut-ceo-outdooractive |
Hartmut
Wimmer, the Founder and
CEO of Outdooractive, commented, “Our two brands complement each other perfectly
and we have already been working closely with ViewRanger to consolidate our
combined routes and showcase additional destinations to a wider community of subscribers
across both platforms.
“Our users share a passion for exploring and enjoying
the outdoors. By bringing together insider tips from travel writers and tourism
partners with recommended routes from publishers and other enthusiasts, we help
them to plan their adventures.
“As such, Outdooractive is becoming the platform of
choice for international outbound operators and outdoor enthusiasts wanting to
connect with specialist outdoor trade partners, national and regional tourist
boards, as well as agents and other professionals.
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| Craig-Wareham-co-founder-viewranger |
Craig
Wareham, the co-founder
of ViewRanger said, “Integrating our technology with the Outdooractive
platform, not only improves the user experience, but adds significant value, to
trade professionals looking for a comprehensive resource.”
The outdoor adventure market in Europe and the UK, is
expecting major growth, as social restrictions, in the wake of the COVID-19
outbreak, are gradually lifted. Initially research suggests that staycations
and local tourism will be the first to recover, but given time international
visitors will want to experience the great outdoors as well.
“We firmly believe that healthy activities in tranquil
open countryside, staying in small family-run guesthouses and hotels, will be
in great demand, and offers a more sustainable alternative to busy beach
resorts and other mainstream attractions.
“Indeed, creating awareness of hidden gems
off-the-beaten track means visitors are encouraged to stay longer to discover a
region, generating greater value for these destinations,“ added Wimmer.
According to the CBI adventure
tourism in general contributes greatly to local economies, with approximately
two-thirds of the money spent on adventure travel staying on location. This can
reach up to €350 per day per visitor on average and experts predict that the
European market will grow by an average annual rate of over 20%. The Adventure
Tourism Trade Association (ATTA) estimated that the global market was worth
€580 billion in 2017.
Outdooractive has also recently announced the acquisition of mountNpass,
the market leader in France for cycling tourism. Its digital cycling network
includes 8,000 recommended cycling routes and 120,000 subscribers an exciting
addition for keen cyclists.
Outdooractive now connects tourism stakeholders with a global
outdoor-community of 7.3 million.
-Ends-
About Outdooractive:
Based in Bavaria, Outdooractive is Europe’s largest
integrated portal for hiking, cycling, mountain-biking and skiing and connects
tourism stakeholders with a global outdoor-community of 7.3 million. With over
twenty years of experience in helping to develop and shape the outdoor tourism
industry, Outdooractive's business partners benefit from access to a global
network of more than 2,500 organizations in 110 countries, with the aim of
creating the largest source of information for international guests.
Outdooractive’s SaaS solutions define the online presence and brand of its
partners whilst delivering a unique user experience that inspires and
facilitates travel planning.
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