Adventure has always been about more than just rugged landscapes, wild rivers, or towering mountains; it is about how these natural assets become a backdrop for experience, and how we connect with them, and other within them. The Adventure Tourism Research Association (ATRA) was born from exactly this spirit of connection.

The idea first took shape at the International Adventure Conference on the Isle of Skye in 2013. There, researchers, guides, educators, and practitioners found themselves united not only by a love of the outdoors but also by a recognition that adventure thrives when theory and practice walk side by side. The conversations, friendships, and trust built in those early gatherings gave rise to ATRA –  a community dedicated to keeping adventure research alive, relevant, and rooted in real-world practice.

Since then, ATRA has grown into a global network. Its members span continents and disciplines, from those who guide people into wild places, to those who study adventure as education, therapy, or tourism. Each International Adventure Conference has carried this spirit forward, hosted in countries as varied as Norway, UK, Ireland, Spain, New Zealand, Germany, and South Africa. Every setting adds its own local flavour, yet each gathering strengthens the same thread – adventure as a space for dialogue, discovery, and meaningful collaboration.

Today, ATRA continues to bring together academics and practitioners, ensuring that research does not remain on paper, but informs, challenges, and inspires the adventure in practice.

ATRA is, at its heart, an invitation…  to join a community where ideas climb, paddle, and trek alongside practice, and where adventure is as much about places and people as it is about the experiences they share.

ATRA is co-ordinated principally by:

Peter Varley at the University of Northumbria, UK

Steve Taylor at the University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland, UK

Jelena Farkić at the Breda University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands