OVERVIEW OF ATTRACTIONS FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND ADVENTURE TOURISM
Let's take a look at popular types of outdoor activity attractions from the perspective of running a promising business.
Rock climbing wall. A place where people learn and train to climb a sloping or steep rock (wall) using climbing equipment. A climbing wall is promising as a business, as it is economical to organise, can be equipped both in natural rocky areas (in mountain tourism zones) and with the use of artificial structures in city amusement parks. But as a commercial object the rock climbing wall has some disadvantages:
- Unattractive for people without physical training or suffering from fear of heights;
- It has a rather long "climbing" cycle, which determines a relatively low capacity.
Rope Jumping and Bungee Jumping. These two outwardly similar adventure rides are extreme jumps from a great height on climbing ropes and elastic rubber rope.Advantages from a business point of view: legal organisation on the territory of Ukraine (important, as it is not available in every country), budgetary organisation.
However, there is not much commercial success in rope-jumping and bungee-jumping rides.
Reasons:
- Difficulty in selecting a location to organise commercial high-altitude jumps;
- Higher risk, which severely limits the number of people willing to participate;
- Strict regulatory requirements that sharply narrow the circle of visitors of jumping attractions (the need to provide the administrators of the attraction with medical certificates on the absence of contraindications to extreme loads).
Trolley, or ziplane. A high-speed descent from a height (mountain, rock, building, artificial tower) along a taut rope in a suspended state, through the "air". From the look of it, an extreme attraction carries virtually no risk for visitors: a person is in a sturdy suspended chair with safety belts and elements of mountaineering insurance.
The ziplane or trolley attraction is relatively inexpensive to build and can be equipped with both artificial and natural height difference. In addition to entertainment, some practical load can be organised, as a means of rapid descent of tourists from the top point of the route (for example - a viewing platform, the start of the ski run) down: to the campsite, campground, car park.
The trolley ride (ziplane) has the characteristics of a profitable commercial enterprise:
- Comparatively low cost in construction and operation;
- High throughput capacity;
- Widespread accessibility for mass visitors;
- Fast payback period.
Ziplane roller coaster. Suspended attraction differs from the high-speed ziplane, curvilinear geometry of the descent route, is oriented on getting thrills when overcoming turns and twists.
Also, instead of supports for the suspension structure it is allowed to use strong trunks of tall trees.
Rodelbahn. It is a monorail or two-rail curvilinear track on the mountainside, with sharp turns and slides, on which single two-seater roller carts equipped with individual brakes descend. A characteristic feature of the roddelbahn is the presence of a height difference.
In terms of functionality rodelbahn is similar to the suspended attraction ziplane roller coaster, actually being a ground analogue.
The rodelbahn shares the positive features of rope rides: high capacity, wide accessibility to the masses, quick payback.
The commercial disadvantages of the rodelbahn attraction are as follows:
- Bears a seasonal nature (snowless season), but with the provision of effective cleaning of the track from snow, it is allowed to operate in the winter season;
- High cost in the device and operation;
Practice shows that trolley rides (ziplines), zipline roller coaster and rodelbahn have gained the greatest commercial distribution as a means of expanding the locations of active recreation and adventure tourism.