From September 11-14, 2023 the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) was held in Hokkaido, Japan.
With pre-conference adventures, and plenty of exciting things to experience in Japan, this was a fast-paced, fun-filled adventure conference.
This year's summit theme was "chowa" meaning "harmony" used to describe the collective spirit that connects people together. The Summit's main focus was on how the adventure travel industry can collaborate with destinations, communities, new technologies, and nature to enhance the services provided to clients and contribute positively to the planet. Working with the local communities was at the forefront of most sessions with Shannon Stowell, CEO of the ATTA saying "It's up to us to show how tourism can be done right, there is no future for travel and tourism if you’re not welcomed and embraced by locals".
As a local Galapagos-based tour agency this has always been at the heart of what we do, supporting our local community by utilizing local hotels, restaurants, guides, drivers, captains and crew just to name a few, as well as supporting community endeavors. We are excited to continue to find ways to give back to improve the environment and culture in which we operate.
Galakiwi has been a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and attendee of the ATWS for many years now. Each year there are valuable conversations held about the future of our industry, and responsibilities we have as tour operators to constantly improve and keep learning so our future is bright.
We have forged many strong bonds with our members of ATTA, some of whom we now do business with by providing Galapagos land-based tours to their clients.
It is the one main industry event that we know will benefit us, and our travelers, each year. This year was no exception, and we've returned to the Galapagos Islands with renewed energy, new contacts, and new ideas for exciting trips in 2024.
We can't wait to reconnect with our ATWS family again in Panama next year!
[Lead photo courtesy of ATTA]
