Native entrepreneur redefining journey tourism in Shimla hills

Arun Rawat has redefined adventure tourism, a local entrepreneur, and has teamed up with his private company ‘The Glide Inn’ to develop a first paragliding site in the Shimla district.

His project ‘The Glide Inn’, approved by the government under the state government’s policy of ‘Nai Manzil, Nai Rahain’, is in the village of Mohal in Junga, about 15 km from the ‘Queen of Hills’ in Shimla, as further contact points emerged as a tourist destination, beyond Kufri and Narkanda.

“It took almost two years to start the company. We received permission from the state government to start the company during the Covid-19 lockdown. After the suspension was lifted, we recently started paragliding gradually, which is now gaining momentum with online inquiries and bookings, ”said Rawat, General Manager of The Glide Inn.

“The flextime during the tandem flight is an average of 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the wind direction and speed. Since it is a weather dependent activity, we do not take any chances if it is not cheap to fly, ”he said.

During the flight, a paraglider can take in scenic views of Shimla town, the dense cedar forest, and mountain peaks dotted with villages and temples, he added.

“In the absence of trained and qualified local pilots, we recruited them from Bir-Billing in the Kangra district and Khajjiar in the Chamba district. Since passenger safety is our top concern, we adhere to the safety standards, ”he said, adding that local youths will also be sent to training in the near future.

Determination to advance his passion for adventure sports had motivated him to take the basic paragliding course and now he intends to take successive courses at Bir-Billing.

The project was carried out on a 5 hectare property. In addition to paragliding, camping, tree adventures and trekking are other attractions that are part of the family holiday destination.

Rawat, who has been running an eco-tourism company Hagel Himalaya in Sadhupul, Solan District for seven years, said: “We have to grow and leave our mark on adventure and ecotourism, not just to create jobs for local youth and To make contributions to the state treasury, but also to maintain environmental concerns. “

It’s been a 26 year journey of entrepreneurship. Rawat had decided to take the plunge after completing Metallurgical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology in Raipur.

The former chairman of the CII Himachal Pradesh State Council wrote a book “In Search of Your Passion” in which he shares his experiences and challenges, walks the path of entrepreneurship and offers some tips and business ideas.

The book he says essentially aims to inspire and motivate young people, in particular, to become entrepreneurs and become job donors rather than seekers.