Active tourism, as well as the search for adventure, are important sources of motivation for travel. It is precisely this type of tourism that has been showing an average annual growth of 10%. Its growing popularity is due to the fact that tourists are better informed because information is more readily available. The other factors are changes in lifestyle and changes in tastes and demands. The modern tourist does not want to settle for a passive holiday, such as lying in the sun on a beach; they strive for adventure. This paper researches the characteristics of active tourism and analyses it as a separate type of tourism. It also analyses different types and forms of tourism. Special attention is given to the characteristics of tourism on the islands of Pašman and Ugljan. The paper also examines contemporary trends in tourism and looks into what inspires the modern tourist to travel. The final section presents a study that was conducted as a structured interview exploring the attitudes of stakeholders to the potential for the development of active tourism and the sports events ‘Škraping’ (international trekking race), Olive Island trail (hiking to St Mihovil fortress) and Avantura Island Ugljan as examples.