reference standards
DISCOVER THE TYPES OF STANDARDS OF INTEREST
Knowing the context and the requirements for operating in the territory requires knowledge of the reference standards at national and international level. Below you will find the main standards to which the association refers.
PUBLISHED STANDARDS
ISO 3021:2023 ADVENTURE TOURISM - HIKING AND TREKKING ACTIVITIES - REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This document lays down the adventure tourism requirements for hiking and trekking activities regarding the safety of participants, accompanying persons and assistants. It also establishes criteria for the classification of hiking and trekking routes according to their characteristics and severity.
The standard only applies to hiking and trekking activities that are offered as tourist products. Some tourist products include hiking and/or trekking activities together with other tourist services (such as transfers, meals, accommodation). Additional tourist services are excluded from the scope of application. This document is applicable to any type of adventure tourism activity provider offering tourism products consisting of hiking and/or trekking activities:
- improve participant satisfaction and safety through the effective implementation of this document, including safety control processes and continuous product improvement and ensuring compliance with participant and applicable regulatory requirements;
- demonstrate the ability of the 'tourism product' to ensure the practice of adventure tourism with hiking activities in a safe manner and meet the safety requirements of participants, accompanying persons and others involved and applicable regulatory requirements;
- provide support for conformity assessment based on this document
- use this document for organisational and service self-assessment
The standard is certifiable and gives a guarantee to customers who use it, identifies a higher quality standard and thus creates a competitive advantage in the market.
ISO 21101 ADVENTURE TOURISM - SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - REQUIREMENT
The standard defines the requirements of a safety management system for suppliers of adventure tourism activities. The standard can be used by suppliers of all types and sizes, operating in different geographical, cultural and social environments for the purpose of:
- improve safety performance;
- meet the safety expectations of participants and staff;
- demonstrate safe practice;
- support compliance with applicable legal requirements.
The objective of the standard is to lead the adventure tourism provider to implement a safety management system that protects the client, but also the guides and everyone involved in the activities. Certification is an excellent guarantee tool for customers.
ISO 21102 ADVENTURE TOURISM - LEADERS - PERSONNEL COMPETENCE
For a service to be provided to the highest standard, it must be managed by appropriate people. This standard is the only international and national instrument to certify adventure tourism professionals. The standard defines the knowledge and skill requirements of guides for any field of adventure tourism. Specific ISO standards are also being published to detail the hiking & trekking and cycle tourism fields.
ISO 21103 ADVENTURE TOURISM - INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS
The standard defines the requirements of a safety management system for suppliers of adventure tourism activities. The standard can be used by suppliers of all types and sizes, operating in different geographical, cultural and social environments for the purpose of:
- improve safety performance;
- meet the safety expectations of participants and staff;
- demonstrate safe practice;
- support compliance with applicable legal requirements.
The objective of the standard is to lead the adventure tourism activity provider to implement a safety management system that protects not only the client but also the guides and everyone involved in the activities. Certification is an excellent guarantee tool for customers.
ISO 20611 ADVENTURE TOURISM - GOOD PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABILITY - REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The standard provides requirements and recommendations for adventure tourism providers regarding good sustainability practices (environmental, social and economic aspects) for adventure tourism activities.
The standard can be used by providers of adventure tourism activities of all types and sizes, operating in different geographical, cultural and social environments. The standard is thus a certification and assurance tool for the market.
ITALIAN NATIONAL STANDARDS
UNI PDR 114.1 OFF-ROAD VEHICLE TRAINING - NON-FORMAL TRAINING SERVICE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL USE OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES AND OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT
This standard indirectly falls within the scope of adventure tourism and aims to define the requirements for training services for the professional use of vehicles (Cat. M-N-T) used on unprepared terrain, whether or not equipped with four-wheel drive. The standard is applied by integrating it with ISO 29993-4, which defines processes and modalities for non-formal training services.
UNI PDR 114.2 OFF-ROAD VEHICLE DRIVING TRAINING - DRIVING INSTRUCTORS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL USE OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES
This standard defines the characteristics of the instructors responsible for providing training as defined in UNI Pdr 114.1. The requirements for knowledge, skills, autonomy and responsibility are then defined and how the certification examination is to be conducted. Obviously these two standards have a certain closeness to the world of adventure tourism for everything that has to do with the skills of adventure tourism guides in off-road vehicles/trucks/trucks in charge of such activities.
UNI PDR 124 UNREGULATED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES - PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN THE FIELD OF TRAVEL SECURITY - REQUIREMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AUTONOMY AND RESPONSIBILITY
The reference practice defines the requirements for the professional activities of the figures working in the field of travel security, namely: Travel Security Officer, Travel Security Manager and Travel Security Analyst. This detail for the professional figures derives from the application in the professional context of ISO 31030 - Travel risk management - guidance for organisations. The standard has no direct correlation with the specific world of adventure tourism but offers important insights and very useful benchmarks.
CANYON GUIDES IN PROCESS
The proposed standard has just been submitted by an association in UNI and will soon see the start of work on drafting the standard.
RELATED STANDARDS
ISO 31030 TRAVEL RISK MANAGEMENT - GUIDANCE FOR ORGANISATIONS
The standard provides guidance to organisations on how to manage travel-related risks to the organisation and its travellers. The standard provides a structured approach for the development, implementation, evaluation and review of: policy; programme development; identification of threats and hazards; opportunities and strengths; risk assessment; and prevention and mitigation strategies. The standard is applicable to any type of organisation, regardless of sector or size, including but not limited to: commercial organisations; charitable and non-profit organisations; governmental organisations; non-governmental organisations; and educational organisations. The standard does not apply to tourism and leisure-related travel, except in relation to travellers travelling on behalf of the organisation.
The standard is not directly related to adventure tourism but, as a guideline, it is a useful support tool for those organising activities and trips in the field of adventure tourism.
ISO 29993 LEARNING SERVICES OUTSIDE FORMAL EDUCATION AND ISO 29994 EDUCATION AND LEARNING SERVICES - REQUIREMENTS FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
These two standards are not directly related to adventure tourism but are very interesting and useful for qualifying organisations operating in non-formal training both face-to-face (ISO 29993) and distance learning (ISO 29994). They are therefore two service certification standards useful to guarantee quality training services to the market. Obviously, the training provided can be contextualised in the world of adventure tourism or in one of its vertical dimensions.
STANDARDS IN PROCESS
ISO DIS 3163 ADVENTURE TOURISM - TERMINOLOGY
Adventure tourism terminology is an important way to align terms to improve the safe delivery of adventure tourism activities.
This document specifies the most common terms and their definitions used in adventure tourism activities. This document was developed to facilitate the understanding of adventure tourism terms in this market.
ISO 11956:2025 ADVENTURE TOURISM – CYCLOTOURISM – REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Questa norma di recente pubblicazione, è di rilevanza ed impatto nel mercato del turismo di avventura. Il cicloturismo è sicuramente una attività del turismo in generale e del turismo di avventura di grandissima diffusione. Il documento stabilisce i requisiti per i servizi in ambito cicloturistico, per qualsiasi tipologia di bici e si tratta di requisiti relativi alla sicurezza dei partecipanti (non di prodotto ma sempre legati al servizio), sicurezza delle guide e degli accompagnatori e nel caso di servizi che prevedono anche il pernottamento sono previsti ulteriori requisiti presenti in una parte specifica della norma. Il documento stabilisce inoltre i criteri di classificazione degli itinerari cicloturistici e definisce inoltre i requisiti aggiuntivi per le guide del turismo di avventura rispetto la ISO 21102 che rimane la norma di certificazione delle guide. Ovviamente la norma si può applicare a quansiasi tipo di fornitore di attività di turismo d’avventura che offre prodotti turistici di cicloturismo. ATTENZIONE, questo documento non è applicabile al noleggio di biciclette senza finalità di turismo di avventura ad esempio i noleggi correlati alla mobilità urbana o rurale.
See the dedicated site for cycle tourism.
