Chris Ryan and Birgit Trauer

A number of commentators have observed the growth of adventure tourism and its associated recreational pursuits. Indeed, for some specific locations adventure tourism products are a significant part of the total tourism product. For example, Queenstown, New Zealand, has sought to be the "adventure capital of the world" (see http://www.resortrentals.co.nz/queenstown.htm and http://www.kanes.co.nz/1zones/52AD.htm as two examples). The core components of adventure tourism are generally held to be risk taking, uncertain outcomes and generally a natural setting. For example Ewert & Jamieson (2003: 68) define adventure tourism as:

A self-initiated recreational activity, typically involving travel and overnight stay component, that usually involve a close interaction with the natural environment, structurally contains elements of perceived or real risk and danger, and has an uncertain outcome that can be influenced by the participant and/or circumstance.

This definition additionally draws our attention to the fact that outcomes can be influenced by "the participant and/or circumstance" and thus it can be argued that such influence includes the control exercised by management. Consequently the adventure experience can be engineered and that such "engineering" is consistent with notions...