Nearly half of all UK holidaymakers opted for a beach break last year, according to Abta's latest Holiday Habits Report, with roughly the same amount taking a city break.

While the popularity of these holiday staples comes as no surprise, the emergence of adventure holidays, which Abta defines as holidays off the beaten path and rank fifth most popular ahead of the likes of cruises, coach holidays and ski trips, is a tantalising prospect for agents.

Moreover, besides city breaks, adventure holidays was the only category in the top eight tracked by Abta to increase in popularity last year.

For a market that promises higher margins, and with only just over one-in-10 people people taking adventure holidays, there is a clear opportunity for agents to capitalise on.

While budgets are a likely factor, the substantial gulf between the beach break and adventure sectors leaves plenty of room for travel agents to navigate – and negotiate. 

So, how can agents steer conversations with their clients towards the adventure sector and bag some bookings?

Inspire them with your own travels

Social media is a powerful tool for inspiring wanderlust in even the most stubborn fly-and-flopper, as one Travel Counsellor discovered.

"I share all my own personal travels on Instagram, which is often a talking point during enquiries," Jodie Love tells TTG. "They usually say, ‘oh, that looked amazing, but I don’t think we could do something like that with the kids’. To which I say – well, why not?

"From there, I’ll tell them exactly why they should do it, how it would look and roughly what it would cost," Love explains, highlighting how her clients are often surprised by the calibre of holiday they can afford.

(Credit: Jodie Love)

"For a similar price, an adventure holiday is packed full of experiences clients can't achieve on a two-week all-inclusive," Love continues. "The easiest switch-sell is Sri Lanka – it’s super family-friendly, and so easy to have the best of everything there."

Breaking clients out of old patterns has even led to extra bookings, with some families catching the travel bug. "A family I’d booked to Turkey a few times finally bit the bullet last summer and went for Thailand," Love adds.

"This led to bookings for South Africa in February, and Vietnam and Singapore this Easter. Their holidays look very different now compared to when they first started booking."

Capitalise on special occasions

Bethany Brandwood at Worcester-based ArrangeMy Escape spotted an opportunity to switch-sell a repeat client booking a celebratory holiday.

"I had a family enquire just before Christmas as the parents were both turning 50," Brandwood explains. "They normally book Spain, Greece and Portugal, but I decided to suggest something a little different this year as it was a special occasion."

Inspired by her "amazing experience" touring Norway with Not in the Guidebooks a couple of years ago, Brandwood decided to recommend them another one of the operator's trips.

"I showed them their Sri Lanka summer adventure tour – and they’ve just booked last week," Brandwood reveals.

(Credit: iStock/Joel Carillet)

The family, including their teenage children, were impressed by the immersive safari itinerary and cycling tour, with some beach mini-breaks in Chilaw, Negombo and Nilaveli thrown in for good measure.

Brandwood explains that when she's pitching adventure travel, she finds the strongest selling point is the potential for clients to create "life-long memories".

"Families want to teach their children about the world that's out there, and have amazing experiences together," she says. "Birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones are the perfect way to encourage clients to try something new and exciting."

'Eke' your clients out of their comfort zone

Solo travellers are the key adventure travel demographic according to self-proclaimed "adventure nut" Ashley Phillips, co-owner of Travel Chaps in Lincoln. He tells TTG that as a strong proponent of "active holidays", he encourages clients to deepen the way they engage with their destination.

"There's always an opportunity to push clients a little further into that 'adventure zone'," Phillips insists. "Someone can come to you and say they want to go on a Lanzarote beach holiday – you can tell them about activities that would enhance that experience, like mountain biking or making aloe vera lotion out in the desert."

(Credit: iStock/EyeEm Mobile GmbH)

That idea of a "quasi-adventure holiday" is a confidence-booster for the client, Phillips explains, as well as a way of building trust.

"Now they know they can rely on me to sort everything out," he said. "So a multi-centre trip around, say, Vietnam, no longer seems like this daunting thing they're doing by themselves."

Always have a wild card

Holly Axelrad of Harpenden's Artisan Travel believes understanding a client's non-negotiables is the key to scaling up a booking. "Greece is the major fly-and-flop destination for families, because brands like Grecotel, Daios Cove and Ikos Resorts have amazing family-friendly facilities," she explains.

"So, when families ask for Greece, I'll give them five beach-front options, but include an extra wild card, which is almost always The Dolomites."  

(Credit: Holly Axelrad)

Axelrad continues: "It's sort of an 'adventure lite', because it's everything families could want, just in a different climate. There's plenty of opportunity for quality time."

The Dolomites also provide a more attractive proposition for off-season travel, Axelrad adds, particularly in May and October when the weather is often "too unpredictable" for a beach break.

"It's guaranteed to be cold, yes, but that's the point of the trip – and it doesn't matter, because the amenities are so amazing," she says. "These hotels have everything, from climbing walls and painting rooms to equestrian centres!"

How have you capitalised on demand for adventure travel? What have been some of your best switch-sells? And which bookings are you most proud of? Let us know in the comment section below.