TravTalk India Online Magazine
ATOAI is in discussion with the government for working towards building clear policy on adventure travel. In a meeting with the minister, ATOAI also insisted on working on national and international sanitization and awareness campaign for adventure travel to make India as a sustainable, safe, responsible outdoor adventure travel destination.
Janice Alyosius
TOAI is functioning on various fronts of promoting adventure tourism. Domestic travel has picked up a bit and there is a new light on the horizon, but the members who handle Inbound still need to hold on for a couple of more months till there are clear policies on adventure travel and flow of international tourists begins.
In an interview Vishwas Makhija, President, ATOAI, spoke of the challenges, the association is facing. “The state does not have an unified policy on adventure tourism,” he explained. They don’t know as to how adventure tourism is growing as an industry. The main challenge is that if there is no clear policy on adventure travel in the state, everything would go wild. As a result, the states should adopt the national ATOAI safety guidelines that were approved by the ministry.”
When asked about Covid’s impact on adventure tourism, Makhija said that India is divided into two parts: the domestic market and the inbound market. The inbound market has been totally wrecked due to the pandemic, which has led to issues like unemployment. When it comes to domestic travel, though, there has been some progress in adventure travel. Domestic tourism has risen, benefiting a lot of people, while inbound travel will take some time.
People desire to visit locations that were previously unpopular, and sites that were once famous only during certain seasons are now in demand all year. Tourist demand has evolved; they now want to visit areas that are lesser known albeit less crowded. “People do not want to be conducting typical tourism circuits to a greater extent,” Makhija said. With the growth of adventure tourism in the local market, it will expand globally to places that are open and have policies and systems in place. Many Indian states are striving to revive tourism.”
When it comes to the elements of adventure travel, every country stands out. “Kerala has made significant progress in terms of adventure tourism policies, and it is quickly becoming a popular destination for active outdoor travel.” There are many national parks in Madhya Pradesh that a lot of tourists would like to visit. Madhya Pradesh has worked hard to promote itself as a global destination for national parks and wildlife tourism. Ladakh, as a union territory, has huge potential, and the UT government is bringing it to light. The government is working hard to promote the leisure and inbound tourism sectors,” said Makhija.
“India needs to come out with a clear campaign, nationally and internationally, for including India as a sustainable, safe, and responsible outdoor adventure travel destination,” Makhija said of their recent work with the government. We met with G. Kishan Reddy, India’s tourism minister, and discussed a list of issues, including requesting that the Indian government launch a national and international campaign to promote adventure travel in the country. We asked the minister for a sanitization and awareness campaign wherein people will look for a recognised, specialist adventure travel firm that is both state and nationally recognised, as well as the rebirth of international roadshows.”
