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World Trails Conference

The World Trails Network is excited to announce that the next World Trails Conference will be held in Ottawa Canada, hosted by the Trans Canada Trail.

More details including dates, pricing and accommodations will be shared in the coming months. Stay tuned!

The World Trails Conference is a global gathering of trail experts, trail managers and builders, trail destinations, enthusiasts and academics, who meet every two years to share knowledge, network and ensure the benefits trails offer society continue to be sustainable and supported around the world.

Conference website: www.worldtrailsconference.org

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. The 7th World Trails Conference took place in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, drawing a diverse and representative number of delegates from across the world.

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. The 8th World Trails Conference aims to be a sold out event that celebrates trails as travel returns to normal.

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.

Previous World Trails Conferences

Click on the conference link to see the past conference webpage.

2022 World Trails Conference – Skiathos, GREECE

2018 World Trails Conference – Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN

2016 World Trail Conference – Tottori, JAPAN

2012 World Trail Conference – Jeju Island, KOREA

2011 World Trail Conference – Jeju Island, KOREA

2010 World Trail Conference – Jeju Island, KOREA

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