At Tawang convention, ATOAI to present roadmap and tool kit for Arunachal’s adventure tourism, ET TravelWorld

Adventure tour operators association will present a roadmap and tool kit to drive Arunachal’s adventure tourism segment in a responsible and sustainable way. This will be presented to the state tourism department at the upcoming annual convention of the association scheduled in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, between December 3 and 8.

Informing this at a curtain raiser event, Ajeet Bajaj, president, ATOAI said that being an ecologically fragile destination, it is important that Arunachal Pradesh builds its tourism in a mindful and planned manner with focus on carrying capacity. “We will suggest the Arunachal government to be very strict on carrying capacity. The roadmap and the tool kit will be a guide in that direction,” he said.

Bajaj, who himself is a world renowned mountaineer, said that unlike other tourism destinations, Arunachal has a well-developed adventure tourism infrastructure. The National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) is located in Dirang in Arunachal and the state is blessed with a pool of credible adventure tour operators.

“The state has fantastic infrastructure for mountaineering, trekking, river rafting, paragliding, etc.,” he said. Bajaj said that by hosting the convention in Tawang, the Association wants to showcase the vast potential for adventure tourism not only in Arunachal but across the northeastern region of India.

“We want to drive economic growth as well as global recognition to Arunachal Pradesh through this convention,” Bajaj said. Around 250 delegates from across the country are expected to attend the annual event.

Speaking at the curtain raiser, Pasang D Sona, tourism minister of Arunachal Pradesh also stressed on the improved connectivity both by road as well as the RCS-UDAN which enabled the state shed its “hidden” tag to a mainstream destination. He said that the state cannot afford to have polluting industries, therefore non-polluting industries like tourism are key to the state’s growth and development. “The only thing is that we need to be responsible and sustainable,” he said.

Oken Tayeng, MLA and Convention Chairperson, who called Arunachal “a playground of possibilities” and underlined the need for a sustainable roadmap to unlock its adventure tourism potential.

Present on the occasion, Arun Srivastava, joint director general, Ministry of Tourism, said that tourists irrespective of their segment or character look at having some component of adventure into their itineraries when they travel to a new destination. Therefore, adventure tourism is no longer a niche segment of travel and tourism but part of the mainstream. He shared various steps being taken by the ministry of tourism to enhance safety and security, capacity building, etc. as part of the national strategy for adventure tourism.

Ranphoa Ngowa, secretary – Tourism, Government of Arunachal Pradesh and Vaibhav Kala, co-chairman of the convention organising committee also spoke on the occasion.