Abstract

Adventure tourism businesses operate in environments characterized by substantial physical risk, highly dynamic natural conditions, and rising customer expectations. As demand for adventure tourism grows, operators must continuously balance experiential delivery with effective risk management and operational control. This study investigates safety management practices among adventure tourism operators in Norway. Data were collected via an online survey of 89 commercial adventure tourism businesses. Results show that environmental conditions—particularly rapidly changing weather—represent the most commonly perceived risk factor, followed by client behaviour, including failure to follow instructions. Slips, trips, and falls constitute the most frequently reported injury type. Tour guide competence emerges as a central safety management strategy. Collectively, the findings underscore the crucial role of tour guides as frontline safety managers and illustrate how small adventure tourism operators in Norway maintain robust safety systems within the constraints of limited resources. The study contributes to the literature on business management in high-risk service sectors and provides practical insights for strengthening safety management practices in adventure tourism.

IPC Classification

Keywords