ATOAI to expand membership

ATOAI’s newly-elected President Capt. Swadesh Kumar plans to increase the membership of the association to 2000 and inculcate a collaborative environment for smooth functioning during his term.

Capt. Swadesh Kumar has been appointed as the President of Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) for 2017-19. According to him, the association needs a new push and the new team of ATOAI is committed to shift focus from Himalaya centric to other areas of adventure tourism, covering the length and breadth of the country.

“The agenda is three fold. We plan to create a more collaborative environment for the association members and increase our membership across India,” says Kumar. One of the major initiatives of ATOAI would be to conduct seminars and familiarisation trips to different states to facilitate member interaction with the local trade and motivate them to become members of ATOAI and one such project is in the pipeline for Arunachal Pradesh. According to Kumar, presently there are only 200 members in the association which they plan to increase to 2000; there are only 70-80 active members which they hope to take to 200. “Major activities to create networking opportunities for our members would be one of our major agendas. This would include participation in domestic and international exhibitions, roadshows, regular get-together and interaction among members etc.,” he adds.

ATOAI hopes to increase the knowledge base and share best practices amongst various travel trade organisations, so that more than the competition amongst the members, there is increased collaboration and learning from each other. The association will also focus on skill development amongst its members. “The key today is marketing our products at a national and international platform. We would also be working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, offering them our support and coordinate with them in their efforts to promote adventure tourism in the country. We hope that the National Task Force on adventure tourism will play a very crucial role in the growth of this industry,” adds Kumar.

Membership Drive
ATOAI has 200 memberswhich it plans to increase to 2000; there are only 70-80 active members