A paradise for adventure

With the focus on highlighting the north east region of India as a potential state which is yet untapped, the ATOAI (Adventure Tour Operators Association of India) held its tenth annual convention at Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati. As the association hopes to promote the region as a one-stop adventure destination, the theme of the convention ‘India’s Unexplored Paradise’ fitted the objective to showcase the potential of the north eastern terrain of India which is rich in mixed natural tourism products. The convention was graced by the presence of Chandan Brahma, tourism minister, Assam. Opening the convention Brahma said, “We are happy that the convention has finally come to Guwahati. The organisers too were skeptical in bringing the convention here in the first place but their notion about the north east must have changed after landing in Guwahati.” Taking cue from Tarun Gogoi, chief minister, Assam, who spoke at the valedictory session of the International Tourism Mart organised by the union ministry of tourism, Brahma said that the north east’s cultural, ethnic, wildlife and landscape diversities along with hospitable people are the core strengths of the region to become a tourism hotspot. “The north east offers huge possibilities for adventure tourism and if explored to the fullest it would bring a new dawn for Assam,” he opined.

Parvez Dewan, secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India said, “We hope to see 20 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrivals and 100 per cent growth after seven to eight years.” He informed that the government of India is focusing specifically on the region with an intention to transform the north east into a leading tourist destination and more significantly as an adventure tourism destination. “We plan to sell north east as an adventure tourism destination. Infrastructure is an all-India issue and it will get automatically get improved once tourists visit a particular destination,” added Dewan. He also offered his support to the industry and informed that adventure tourism has been accepted as a niche tourism activity.

At the inaugural session, Sanjay Basu, convention chairman, ATOAI deliberated on how the association has grown over the years, the reasons for bringing the convention in the north east and the unexplored opportunities it offers. “This has to be the decade of the north east,” he said emphasising on creating the brand Himalaya.

Tejbir Singh Anand, president, ATOAI addressed the gathering by highlighting the importance of adventure tour operators. He said, “Besides, helping open up the entire north east, this convention will help in creating a bond, which will in turn reap economic and social benefits for the region.” Anand also added that adventure tourism is also a perfect way to help make India a 365-day active holiday destination.

Taking the center-stage, Mandip Singh Soin, founder and managing director, Ibex Expeditions opined, “The adventure tourism sector has been growing at 10-15 per cent year-on-year combining both inbound and domestic travellers. With more states opening up to adventure activities the growth potential is huge in the future. The north east region has huge potential in terms of adventure tourism and we are expecting the support and cooperation of the government for the promotion of the same.”

He also underlined several issues, which remains to pose hurdles in the growth of this segment. “Unavailability of insurance products for adventure travel is one such impediment,” he said. Soin added that since the nature of this segment is all about the wilderness and remote inaccessible outdoor areas, restrictions on the use of life saving electronic devices such as GPRS/ satellite phones should be relaxed. Setting up of greenfield airports/ airstrips should be given importance to ease accessibility. He also stressed on issues relating to rescue, evacuation and disaster management specially in the Himalayan region. Presently, there is also no such facilities available for evacuation in the Himalayas. This will boost the image and business to Indian adventure travel.

Delivering his keynote address on ‘Branding the Indian Himalaya and the north east’, Amitabh Kant, CEO and managing director, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) said, “The north east is a big asset of ours and needs a sensitive handling.” He urged tour operators to design itineraries based on the carrying capacity of the region. Kant added, “Sustainability is a key issue and asked tour operators to market the north east as a destination for high-end travellers to keep its ecological balance intact.” He said that the north east should not be marketed as a mass tourist destination.

And the award goes to

Saluting his contribution towards the growth of adventure tourism in the country, ATOAI gave away its highest award- the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ to Mandip Singh Soin. The President’s Special Award’ was given to Amitabh Kant. The 17-year old Deeya Bajaj was adjudged for the ‘Adventurer of the Year’ award. While, Vaibhav Kala, founder, Aquaterra Adventures made it to the ‘Hall of Fame’.

Pledge for commitment to sustainable tourism

For the first time, all delegates and adventure tour operators present on the occasion had to take a pledge by touching a stone carried all the way from the source of the river Ganges. The delegates pledged to be responsible citizens and abide by sustainable practices both in daily activities and workplace. They committed to fully implement sustainable tourism practices consistent with the best environment and heritage protection standards. The delegates also reiterated their commitment to conduct their business in an ethical manner that benefits the culture and ethos of its rich and ancient civilisation.

New beginning

Initiating the business session of the convention on ‘Synergy in Business and Destination Development’, Capt Swadesh Kumar, founder president, ATOAI underlined the finer prints of the trade and emphasised on the need to strengthen relation between DMCs and local tour operators. Girish Shankar, additional secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India informed that the ministry of tourism is in talks with the ministry of human resource development to include adventure sports in the course curriculum of school students. Some of the CBSE schools have already included travel and hospitality in its course content.

Rakesh Mathur, director and principal advisor – India, Zinc Hospitality shared his decade long experiences of working in the north east with adventure tour operators. Ambrose Bittner, founder, Red Lantern Journeys elucidated on the modern tools of marketing. He advised tour operators to gain detailed knowledge about the products they are selling and have trust in the suppliers. Bittner said, “New technology tools like social media, email marketing have become popular. There is also a need to rely on locals to keep ourselves informed, create accurate itineraries with well written descriptions, to have employees with experience on destinations to sell it and so on. Also, safety and reliability is a vital issue in today’s travel which should be addressed. In all, we need to match local guides and have the expertise to command respect providing great logistic management support to travellers.”

In the second session on ‘Changing Trends, Infrastructure Product Development’, HS Das, principal secretary, department of tourism, Government of Assam delved on soft infrastructure issues like upkeep, cleanliness and maintenance of the destination; training airport staff, taxi and auto drivers to be courteous with tourists and also train hospitality staff to be hospitable with guests. “If we take care of these issues, then these can have a long-lasting impact on the visiting tourists and help in the development of a destination,” he said.

Commander Sam T Samuel, managing director, Kalypso Adventures said, “Today tourists irrespective of their age or disability are moving around. Clients are looking for an experience, which they want to share with their friends and relatives through social media or travel blogs.” He reiterated the words of Mark Twain to ‘Explore, Dream and Discover’.

Oken Tayeng, managing director, Aborcountry Travels & Expeditions asked adventure tour operators to be honest and realistic while interacting with clients. He emphasised on high value but low impact tourism practices. Cherian T Ramapuram, director, Orange Country Resorts & Hotels, owning luxury resorts in Coorg and Kabini in Karnataka said, “Today, travellers are looking for experiences which are not experienced anywhere in the world.” They are looking for journeys that evoke stories. Summing up the session, Reema Lokesh, editor, Express TravelWorld stressed on the need for balanced development of a destination with an eye on sustainability. She also advised the adventure tour operators to explore and innovate.

The third session on ‘Market development both traditional and electronic media’ saw presentations by Dilshad Master Kumar, co-founder, Farinto and Chinmay Divekar, director, Nature Trails Resorts who deliberated on how effectively to use information technology tools to grow their business. Kumar focused on social media marketing and explained how even the SME sector in the travel trade can use Facebook as an effective marketing tool. She said, “There has been a quantum jump in the number of people who are searching travel information on Facebook, updating their profile after a trip or planning their trip after reading a travel blog. Engagement is the key where one has to communicate with the communities. Twitter too is an effective medium if used in a right manner.”

Divekar cited how proper use of CRM tools, effective database management and search engine optimisation has helped him in growing his business. Ajay Prakash, CEO, Nomad Travels emphasised on truthfulness and trust, the key issues for developing a market and creating a brand.

Later Col Gulshan Chadha from the Indian Army and director of the newly set-up National Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports informed that the Indian Army is establishing a mountaineering and adventure sports institute at Dirang in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The institute has a mandate to conduct courses in 12 different adventure activities like mountaineering, skiing, hot air ballooning, white water rafting, kayaking, microlights, paragliding, etc. We are also planning to start courses on mountain guiding, search, rescue and disaster management. Besides, personnel of the armed forces, these courses will be also offered to those from the civilian community for which the courses would start shortly.

Anurag Singh, managing director, Assam Tourism Development Corporation threw light on the key strengths of Assam, its culture, festivals, cuisines, wildlife, forests and exotic tourist locations. He gave a complete review of the state’s performance in tourism and new avenues that the state has planned to open up. He updated the audience about the various new developments on the cards as part of the tourism infrastructure.

Vivek Mathur, general manager, Madhya Pradesh Tourism depicted the rich heritage of art and culture, historical and religious places of the state of Madhya Pradesh through his presentation. The fourth and last session on ‘Adventure Tourism – four pillars of success: Ethics, Sustainability, Safety and SOPS’ saw speakers deliberating on the four key issues.

Ajeet Bajaj, managing director, Snow Leopard Adventures and past president, ATOAI set the tone with his presentation on ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ the adventure tour operators need to follow in their day-to-day operations. David Singh, director, Eco Adventures and the executive committee member, ATOAI raised the issue of safety and security of women travellers. Sarath Champati, chief naturalist and associate director conservation, Orange County said, “Sustainability is a key issue.” Richard McCallum, director, Flying Fox asked the operators to ensure the safety and security of tourists.

The final conclusion that was drawn was that adventure tourism today offers variety of options. For eg: In India, a person can indulge in camel safari in the deserts of Rajasthan, heli-ski in the Himalayas, raft down the mighty Ganges and trek in the Garhwal Himalayas. In addition there are various other activities to widen the scope of adventure travel. These include luxury camping, outdoor corporate training programmes, aero-sports including hot air ballooning and paragliding, bungee jumping, alpine skiing, ski-touring, kayaking and canoeing, jeep camel and elephant safaris -the list is endless and at a cost far more economical than its counterparts anywhere in the globe. Besides, there is more awareness now and people are exploring new options. Hence there is an urgent need to tap these ‘unexplored possibilities’. At the same time the delegates urged the union government to relax several draconian policies like Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Inner Line Permit (ILP), etc in order to promote north-east as an adventure tourism destination.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 10th ANNUAL CONVENTION HELD in 2013 AT GUWAHATI, ASSAM

To adopt the basic minimum standards / safety guidelines for adventure tourism as suggested by ATOAI. No operator to be given permission to operate till these basic minimum standards are met. Support the ‘Clean India’ campaign of MoT in letter and spirit. To launch a major sensitisation drive in gateway cities such as Guwahati, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Gangtok about the importance of cleanliness to promote tourism. To have clean and hygienic toilets in all areas / places visited by tourists. Promote the north east as an Adventure & Ecotourism destination with itineraries/routings often spanning more than one state. Do not sell the North East as a cheap destination and accent should be on low volume and high value clients. Mass tourism is not to be encouraged as can be detrimental to environment and local cultures. However, higher tariffs should be balanced with high client satisfaction through authenticity of experience, quality training for human resource and high quality of infrastructure, easier accessibility, etc. To sell north east as one cohesive product drawing the best of all states and creating experiential circuits i.e. Trekking, safaris, river cruises, natural history, Buddhism, golf, historical sites, war memorials etc. To compete with and to link up with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal by the opening of borders between these states and neighbouring countries. To lobby for international airport in centre of the region i.e. Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Dimapur to bring states closer and Far East and beyond to be more accessible. Allow more Indian and international trekking and mountaineering expeditions to go deeper into the Himalayan areas and as close to our international borders as possible. Every tour operator or tourism provider must be certified by state governments to have minimum standards or safety, ethics, sustainability and standard operating procedures. These four pillars of the association can be transmitted via workshops in conjunction with the state government and local tourism associations to members of the industry. All tourism providers must sign the pledge of undertaking safe, honorable and sustainable tourism actions in their operation and this should be made known publicly through their websites so that the consumer can also become an auditor. In the future growth of accommodation, it would be important to have architectural integrity which reflects the local culture and blends with its landscape. Tall and multi storied buildings with modern materials should be discouraged, except in big cities like Guwahati. Instead, local materials usage should be encouraged and building of excellent quality eco lodges and home stays to be an important element in providing accommodation for tourists. Access to remote parts of the Himalayas and remote forest areas would be key for easier access to adventure travel destinations. Thus, there is a need to have operational airports for small fixed wing aircraft (Short take-off and landing aircraft) in places like Zanskar, Spiti, Kinnaur, Garhwal, Kumaon, North Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. In specific, places like Pasighat, Ziro, Tawang Dhirang, Along, Dibang and Mechuka have been identified for Arunachal. Padum in Zanskar especially now that Kargil is connected in the state of J & K. The mission of the accessibility into the Indian Himalayas must be taken with view towards the larger picture of removal of the summer off-season of India, as Himalayan Tourism will bring in tourists into the country in summer months. This will lead to foreign tourists also traveling to other parts of India in the plain areas in summers, as a natural extension to their Himalayan journeys. Airstrips – The airstrips that can be considered to be opened / expedited include:- In Uttarakhand: Gauchar, Chiniyalisaur & Pithoragarh in Himachal Pradesh: Spiti Valley (near Kaza) and Lahaul in Jammu & Kashimir: Thoise (Shyok Valley), Padum (Zanskar valley), Korzok (Tsomoriri), Lidderwat (Kolohoi glacier) in Pahalgam region, Kargil. In Arunachal Pradesh: There are some advance landing grounds of the defence forces at Zero, Mechuka, Pasighat and Tawang (new, to be built ) which could be used by commercial fixed wing aircraft operators. In Sikkim: Yambung Certain specific routes could be opened/relaxed such as the connection between Tawang to East Bhutan and the exit back from Samdrup Jonkhar as well as the connection between Moray and Myanmar. It is also recommended to look at options of connecting from Kumaon into Tibet and from Ladakh into Tibet. The entire aspect of RAP/PAP/ILP permits to be relooked at and dismantled for Indian and foreign travellers visiting the north east, except in case required to protect specific tribal communities. Satellite phones and global positioning systems (GPS) as well as one inch, half inch and quarter inch scale maps of the Himalayan areas to be made available for usage by registered adventure tour operators by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. This should also be permissible for use by foreign tourists under a supervised role so that security of the country is not compromised. The Ministry of Tourism and the state governments should start a campaign of branding the Indian Himalaya and bring out visuals – print and electronic, to support the same. Our USP of the Indian Himalayan experience can be that of diversity of physical terrain and local cultures stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. Rafting in Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand is presently the most popular destination for river rafting in the country. Four suggestions: Need to extend the rafting season during July/August/ September. During this period allow rafting on the float /easy sections from Devprayag to Kaudiala and from the barrage below Rishikesh to Haridwar. Safety must be ensured by ensuring minimum two rafts / plus safety kayaker per trip. Appoint an empowered officer to be stationed in Rishikesh to issue permits, ensure safety, check permits, etc. There should be strict adherence to timelines by the nodal officer. No auctioning of beaches. Encourage / support existing adventure / rafting companies. Engage /consult / involve stakeholders and operators before changing / formulating policy. To consult ATOAI at the sanction and review stage for any projects / funds sanctioned by state / central govt. for adventure tourism. Areas near National Park boundaries to be declared ‘ sensitive zones’. Central guidelines/ recommendations for resorts / tourism activity in these areas. States disregarding the eco norms not to be given central funding for adventure / wild life tourism. To ensure that the sanctity of forest corridors is maintained. FA/CPR first aid, revival and rescue courses to be mandatory for adventure guides to have FA/ CPR certification. To undertake a carrying capacity study funded by the Ministry of Tourism in all different geographical zones of the country such as the Himalayan mountain areas, deserts, forests, rivers, coastal areas, seas, wastelands etc. These pilot studies can be used as models to be replicated in different parts of the country so that access is allowed to an optimum number of tourists balancing the needs of the local economy to be helped by tourism on one side and to retain the ecological footprint to the minimum on the other side. Adventure activities should be encouraged and can be conducted in practically every state of our country specially demand for soft adventure is on the rise. Soft adventure activities include wild life safaris, bird watching walks, short treks, day treks, float trips, jeep safaris, river cruises, etc. In order to have a smooth tourism experience for the customer, the tourism providers should work in harmony and synergise their operations so that all these actors play a role in providing a positive client experience. These actors normally are the foreign tour operators (FTO’s), the Destination Management Companies (DMC’s), local operators/ground handlers/excursion agents and the hotels/lodges, transport providers, local communities, guides, porters, local staff etc. This is most important so that there is a constant pressure on all to ensure a high quality of service with maximum reliability for the tourists. Local agents must on the other hand focus on providing efficient local services and getting their tourism products in order as in infrastructure, hygiene ,waste disposal, safety etc, by pressurising local governments. This will ensure sustainability and long term gains rather than short term profits in efforts to cut intermediate service providers. Synergise in reverse. For Indian travellers, there ought to be a system of buying medical and rescue insurance (including helicopter evacuation) which needs to be negotiated with India based insurance companies. This will strengthen the ability of Indian travellers to undertake adventures without the tension of the rescue facility which now largely depends on the local government to activate on a humanitarian basis. The upcoming Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh should have a curriculum for creating adventure guides who would not just possess adventure activity skills but also learn soft skills like customer handling, crisis management, effective communication, organisational skills, knowledge of fauna and flora etc. This should include a final and practical working as a trainee with a recognised adventure tour operator, preferably an ATOAI member. Promote river cruises as a soft adventure activity as is now started on the Brahmaputra. Deployment of more dredgers, location of mobile jetties and making the safer and more reliable sections of the river as night navigational channels, should be undertaken at the earliest. Wildlife tourism not to be tiger centric alone but emphasis on quality interpretation of the forest, bio diversity and local cultures along with challenges of conservation and poaching. Effort should be rapidly made to ensure that more forest destinations are brought into focus so that pressure on a few selected national parks gets dispersed. Get special collateral made on adventure tourism specially in video and film and key advertising to be undertaken by MOT and the state governments in Indian and foreign magazines and newspapers as well as electronic media and social media. Additionally, a film on adventure tourism on India should be commissioned to convey the magic of the Himalaya and the diversity of adventure possibilities in the country. Revive the regular Himalayan mountaineering and tourism meet on a bi annual basis which was conducted by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and this can be done in conjunction with ATOAI and the Ministry of Tourism in order to generate more interest in the mountaineering and trekking options in the Indian Himalaya. To re-examine the policy of closure of peaks for religious reasons in certain states like Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Perhaps, a few may be closed for religious reasons whilst others may be kept open for mountaineering and other sporting events so that the basic human right that of Access is not denied. Also, to access these mountains in Arunachal Pradesh establishes India’s claim to them like was done in the Siachen region of J&K. Uttarakhand should review their policy of creating an alternative window apart from that of IMF, of permits and fees for mountaineering expeditions as this has impacted negatively, the growth of mountaineering expeditions in the State of Uttarakhand. All Himalayan peaks less than 6000 metres, to be designated as trekking peaks that do not need liaison officers, have a token peak fee and where permits are issued in a few hours.  Efforts to be made to have an extensive exercise to institute names of peaks in the Himalaya and this should be coordinated by mountaineering bodies like the Indian Mountaineering Foundation; the National Mountaineering Institutes; the Himalayan Club and ATOAI. Bring in accessible tourism for people who are differently abled but would like to undertake certain adventure activities. Promote certain endurance events like Iron Man as part of adventure travel product offerings. Each ATOAI conference to have a carbon offset component of planting trees as a method to offset all the carbon generated due to the convention and adopt some practical elements of the MOT’s Clean India campaign. Each state to try and establish an adventure training institute and also in key locations, have first aid and rescue posts manned by voluntary doctors and rescue equipment as well as communication devices like mobiles, satellite phones and GPS. To promote Himalayas as a brand to encourage adventure tourism in the country. It is recommended that the next Incredible India campaign should be “Brand Himalaya”. To co-ordinate with IRDA for insurance products for adventure travel/tourist. At present there is no company offering such products.