Women’s Collective@ATOAI

Instituted on International Women’s Day 2021, ATOAI has introduced the Women’s Collective, a task force formed with the purpose of inspiring, nurturing and celebrating women in adventure travel.

Manas Dwivedi

Arshdeep Anand, CEO, HMA Spectrum Handcrafted Holidays, will be the Chairperson of the committee while other members include, Guneet Puri, Founding Partner, Bohemian Adventures; Tejaswini Gopalswamy, Co-Founder, Unventured Expeditions; Dilshad Master, Outward Bound India Himalaya and Akansha Garg, Founder Director, Waxpol Hotels & Resorts. Sharing her thoughts on leading the Collective and bringing about a change in the industry, Anand said her team’s main objective is to bring women to the fore by giving them a voice and visibility. “Women are grossly under-represented in the leadership role in the adventure tourism industry and there is a need for women to push their boundaries. I see women travelling freely and also doing adventure activities such as hiking, rafting, trekking. I also see a lot of employment generation in the future as well. Ultimately, we want to reach a stage where the industry does not require a special women’s task force,” she says.

Objectives of the task force

Give recognition to women in the adventure travel and tourism industry

Create a culture of inclusion where decision-making and power are practiced collectively and women participate at all levels

Create a community for women in travel to network, advertise, promote and inspire more women to be a part of the adventure travel industry

Encourage women-led travel organisations

Create an ATOAI-certified women-friendly network of local operators and travel partners