Conference History and Relevance
The first World Trails Conference was held in Jeju Island, Korea in 2010. Funding was secured to host a further 4 conferences on this inspiring island until 2015. In 2016 the event moved to Tottori in Japan and continued to grow. With conference subsequently in Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Skiathos, Greece, and Ottawa, Canada, the 2026 Conference in Perth, Western Australia will be the first time WTC has come to the southern hemisphere.
The conference is the only event of its kind that provides a truly global platform for trails from around the world and hosting it in a different country every two years.
Trails represent a growing contribution to the world’s GDP and they play a significant role in adventure tourism and soft adventure in particular. Trails support over a third of all adventure tourism activities, with hiking identified in 2017 as the single most popular adventure tourism activity in a survey by ATTA. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented 200%-500% increase in trail users on many trails in certain regions and there is an expected boom in trails to come once tourism and travel revert to pre-pandemic capacity. Trails need to be ready and prepared for this.
Trails are major contributors to conservation and nature experiences, cultural heritage and healthy lifestyles. They benefit local communities, tourists, health, recreation and nature education. Bringing this global community together is the objective of the World Trails Conference.
The World Trails Conference is an important place for trails to find a united voice, share knowledge, learn from each other and provide inspiration through international campaigns to further the value trails deliver to all people in every country.
