Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) will be holding its 12th annual convention from February 12-14, 2016 in Madhya Pradesh. Keeping the tradition of organising ATOAI conventions at activity based locations, this time the venue will be at Hanumantiya, located at the banks of the Indira Sagar Dam. Speaking about this year’s convention, Tejbir Singh Anand, convention chairman and immediate past president, ATOAI stated, “It was a delightful decision to choose Madhya Pradesh as the convention venue. Keeping in accordance with the times and creating new products as the ultimate way forward, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism has proven to be a pioneer in this field. The state of Madhya Pradesh has taken the travel industry very seriously and has fulfilled all promises made. They have shown utmost sincerity and loyalty towards our industry and have walked the talk. In the past 10 years, Madhya Pradesh has achieved great milestones and has made it easier for the travel stakeholders to trust this state’s tourism and invest in this destination.”
The Indira Sagar Lake at Hanumantiya is a virgin and unknown hamlet in the heart of Madhya Pradesh. It is spread over 61,600 sq kms. A resort has already been inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Tourism to kick-start this destination. Explaining the objective behind conducting the convention at this location, Anand opined, “We want to showcase it to the travel trade stakeholders and potential investors, while experiencing the potential and magnificence of this new destination. Indira Sagar Lake has over 100 islands within which there is a lot of wildlife. All islands are accessed by speed boats, which take over 45 minutes for a one side journey.”
Anand added, “The travel trade is witnessing rapid changes in technology and dynamics and it constantly poses a challenge to our tourism industry to maintain compatibility and match its pace. Changing dynamics hint at innovations and hence investments. The convention will offer a mix of activities along with a lot of brainstorming sessions, which may answer a lot of questions which arise on a day-to-day basis. Today’s business challenges need to be addressed jointly and understood in collaboration. The convention will be a one-stop-shop which no one can afford to miss. Visionary speakers, true success stories from peers and genuine bonding time will make it an impressive experience. The convention will offer a plethora of adventure and other activities to make it a memorable experience such as – climbing an artificial wall, obstacle course, beach volleyball, cycling, community service and hiking, cruise boating, banana rides, parasailing, island overnight camping, stargazing, tree plantation activity, hot air ballooning, paramotoring, bird watching, etc.”
Akshay Kumar, president, ATOAI, said, “The adventure travel industry in India has witnessed an unprecedented growth over the past few years. As the domestic Indian traveller matures and looks forward to exploring India’s hidden treasures, the industry has jumped on this opportunity to provide investment to set up infrastructure to support the increasing demand. At the same time our inbound traveller is gradually realising the scope for adventure sports in India and the numbers are looking better than ever before. The e-visa regime has also gone a long way in helping to move numbers.”
The industry is also facing a lot of challenges from multiple fronts. Lack of skilled manpower and environment courts taking suo moto action in prime adventure destinations have taken a toll on the industry. ATOAI is in constant contact with MOEF and the Ministry of Tourism to raise awareness about the low impact model of tourism that the industry follows. ATOAI over the last two years has been playing a proactive role in repositioning the Indian adventure travel product to suit inbound and domestic markets. From getting permission for use of satellite phones in wilderness locations, subsidies for mountaineering expeditions in India, to providing capacity building and training workshops for ground level service providers, ATOAI is constantly working towards providing an end product that is comparable to the best in the world. The 12th annual convention will strive to address most of these challenges faced by the industry.
