ATOAI’s Convention: Sept 18-21

The 13th Annual Convention of Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) will be held from Sept 18-21, 2017, in Kerala. Potential of adventure tourism in India and showcasing Kerala in a new light will be discussed.

ATOAI’s 13th Annual Convention will be hosted at Backwater Ripples Resort in Kumarakom, Kerala, and is expecting participation of 350-400 delegates. The theme of this year’s Convention is ‘Emerging Pathways’, which will focus on making India as the adventure capital of the world. The convention will provide a platform for key stakeholders of the industry including representatives of the government, tourism boards and other players, to deliberate upon adventure tourism policy; capacity creation; responsible tourism and marketing of this segment, informs Rajesh Ojha, Hony. Secretary, ATOAI, and Chairman for ATOAI Convention.

He says, “India is the only country in the world that offers every possible adventure activity. Unfortunately, India has not been able to fully capitalise on the advantages of this segment and position itself as the preferred adventure destination at a global level. The year 2017 marks a watershed year when the association has taken upon itself to raise the bar for this segment and to develop and market India as the adventure capital of the world.”

Ojha believes that India is a country that offers almost every adventure and active holiday experience that one can seek. “As the definition of adventure has expanded in present times, India too has enhanced its game to offer everything under the large umbrella of adventure tourism. Be it skiing, water rafting, trekking, off-road adventures, biking, cycling, scuba diving, river cruising, angling, bungee jumping, ballooning, caving, birding, adventure parks, nature retreats, mountaineering or more, India has it all,” says Ojha.

Tejbir Singh Anand, Vice President, ATOAI, adds, “We have had our previous conventions in the north but adventure tourism is spread across the country. Kerala has untapped potential for adventure activities like kayaking, canoeing etc. and so it now needs to be showcased for adventure tourism as well, not just products like Ayurveda and backwaters.”