Like recently Travel surveyAlmost 65% of Indians who participated in the survey wanted to travel for leisure and adventure in 2021. Several local tourists are now looking past the traditional holidays. They want to try new experiences in open and less crowded places, which is likely to boost adventure tourism in the country. In fact, local tourists traveled to adventure sports hotspots around the country shortly after the lockdown ended last year. For example, media reports say nearly 60,000 tourists have visited Uttarakhand for rafting since the activity reopened after the lockdown.

Due to its diverse natural landscape, India has the potential to become a global center for adventure tourism in the future. The country’s vast coastline, deserts, snow-capped mountain peaks, forests and undiscovered wilderness offer tourists unique adventurous experiences. Trekking, abseiling, paragliding, and white water rafting have been popular activities in recent years. Multi-day trekking, ziplining, snorkeling, diving, and all-wheel self-propelled expeditions are other activities that have gained ground. The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has announced several initiatives in recent years to promote this niche segment in order to recognize the potential of adventure tourism in the country. Some of them include creating adventure trails, developing Indian adventure tourism guidelines with detailed instructions on how to operate and risk mitigation, and opening 137 peaks for mountaineering and trekking with easier visa procedures for international tourists.

Adventure tourism in India continues to evolve and its future success depends on how well the public and private sectors can work together to implement and monitor global standards of safety and professionalism while ensuring responsible and sustainable tourism practices. Given the surge in domestic tourism, it is an appropriate time to focus on developing and promoting adventure travel in the country. First of all, it is important to redesign adventure tourism programs to meet the changing needs of guests. For example, smaller, closed-group activities rather than larger-group activities are the order of the day to ensure social distancing, strict adherence to safety and disinfection protocols related to pandemics, and to protect both tourists and employees.

Government guidelines for adventure tourism should be consistently implemented and implemented across the country to ensure consistency. It is imperative to establish high safety standards using best practices from popular global adventure travel destinations such as New Zealand, Australia and Brazil. Regular audits should be conducted to ensure safety guidelines are followed to the tee. Appropriate infrastructure, housing and equipment, including rescue and civil protection equipment and support, should be made available to even the most distant destination through public-private partnerships. In addition, training locals as professional guides and instructors, developing good host families and bed and breakfast accommodations, and an aggressive marketing campaign will go a long way in promoting India as a global adventure tourism destination with unique experiences in the future.

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