ATOAI reviving Uttarakhand tourism
The upcoming 11th Annual Convention of Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) in Shivpuri, Uttarakhand, from March 25-27 this year is expected to witness over 40 international buyers along with a good number of domestic buyers from Pune, Mu
From a small, niche market, adventure tourism has now become a size- able market with the potential for significant economic growth opportunities. With the theme ‘Connect, Create, Catalyse and Conserve’, the focus of the event is to draw attention to the rapidly changing environment and chalk out a plan for its preservation, incorporation of sustainable tourism practices and dissemination of the same among industry stakeholders and sensitise travellers.
According to Akshay Kumar, President, ATOAI, the convention aims to revive the tourism industry that was hit by the flash floods last June. “By hosting the convention in Uttarakhand, ATOAI wants to send out the message that Uttarakhand is a safe tourist destination and the impact of the flash floods that struck the state last June is temporary. Over 85 per cent of the state is unaffected by the deluge and it is safe to travel,” he informs. Most of the adventure tour operators have some stake in Uttarakhand, and over the years they have been
To restore the state, we are doing a ‘free garbage area’ drive between Rishikesh-Kaudiyala for the next three years
Rajesh Ojha Executive Committee Member ATOAI
utilising tourism resources of the state. In the light of the recent natural disaster, this is the time to give back to the state, he adds.
Rajesh Ojha, Executive Committee Member, ATOAI, is the Convention Chairman
while Vinayak Koul, Executive Committee Member, ATOAI
and David K Singh, Treasurer, ATOAI, are the Co-Chairmen for the convention.
Besides including various adventure activities, the convention programme is being designed to give ample networking opportunities, unique learning experiences and an advanced platform to understand the emerging challenges of the adventure tourism business. “To restore the state, we are doing a ‘free garbage area’ drive between the Rishikesh- Kaudiyala for the next three years,” Ojha reveals. The convention is expected to witness over 440 delegates, 40 international buyers along with good num-
The convention aims to revive the tourism industry that was hit by flash floods last June
Akshay Kumar, President, ATOAI
ber of domestic buyers from Pune, Mumbai and Gujarat. The response from Eastern India is also remarkable, he adds. Apart from an open session with all the stakeholders and informative post-convention tours, the convention team is all set to surprise delegates by creating a luxury tent colony for one night on the bank of the Ganga to network and interact.
Taking the partnership with Uttarakhand Tourism beyond the convention period, ATOAI, in collaboration with some nodal agencies, has also conducted seminars for stakeholders and work- shop on adventure safety for the promotion of safe, honourable and sustainable tourism. The first day- long conference titled ‘ Tourism in Uttarakhand: Starting Afresh’ was conducted on December 13, 2013, in Dehradun followed by Adventure First Responder and Safety Workshop in Uttarkashi from January 13-14, 2014.