Adventure
travel is growing in India by leaps and bounds. Trekking has always been a
mainstay of the active Indian traveler, but a series of options like paddle
boarding, kite surfing, kayaking, caving and even bungee jumping are slowly
gaining traction in India, as you can see by the listings posted on www.trailwala.com, India's
first listings directory for adventure travel.
Go on Adventure Tours in India for your adventure trip with the best travel packages and travel deals.
One of the biggest hurdles to industry growth, ironically, is the lack of regulation surrounding this space. The government has very few rules around who can and cannot operate as an adventure traveler, with the result that hundreds of fly-by-night operators set up shop and take travelers into the wilderness. The innocent traveler motif is also incorrect; the incessant pressure from travelers for bargain-basement pricing is one of the main reasons for the emergence of these low-cost, low-quality operators. Incidents involving severe accidents and the occasional loss of life are not unknown; the Dudhsagar falls trek, a popular Goa destination, was shut down in the monsoons of 2015 because a few foolhardy trekkers went too far into the rocks, and paid the price with their lives. The government would do well to enforce regulations and processes, rather than react belatedly by closing off areas that experience stress.
The Chadar trek in Ladakh was similarly closed off earlier in 2015, when the ecological damage inflicted by thousands of tourists created severe issues, adding to the issues posed by landslides in a region that has very poor infrastructure for coping with the masses. The burden of poor operators is often a public nuisance—cheap organizers usually can’t afford scrupulous waste management, and this has devastating consequences on the environment. Similarly, badly trained vendors do not have topnotch safety skills—and in many cases, some even lack awareness when it comes to equipment maintenance. For example, did you know that climbing rope MUST be replaced every 2 years, even if it hasn’t been used? Yup, it “expires” as the fibers lose their tautness. But try telling that to a vendor who is ill trained and hellbent on cutting costs. That’s when you end up with tragic stories in the adventure tourism space.
Go on Adventure Tours in India for your adventure trip with the best travel packages and travel deals.
One of the biggest hurdles to industry growth, ironically, is the lack of regulation surrounding this space. The government has very few rules around who can and cannot operate as an adventure traveler, with the result that hundreds of fly-by-night operators set up shop and take travelers into the wilderness. The innocent traveler motif is also incorrect; the incessant pressure from travelers for bargain-basement pricing is one of the main reasons for the emergence of these low-cost, low-quality operators. Incidents involving severe accidents and the occasional loss of life are not unknown; the Dudhsagar falls trek, a popular Goa destination, was shut down in the monsoons of 2015 because a few foolhardy trekkers went too far into the rocks, and paid the price with their lives. The government would do well to enforce regulations and processes, rather than react belatedly by closing off areas that experience stress.
The Chadar trek in Ladakh was similarly closed off earlier in 2015, when the ecological damage inflicted by thousands of tourists created severe issues, adding to the issues posed by landslides in a region that has very poor infrastructure for coping with the masses. The burden of poor operators is often a public nuisance—cheap organizers usually can’t afford scrupulous waste management, and this has devastating consequences on the environment. Similarly, badly trained vendors do not have topnotch safety skills—and in many cases, some even lack awareness when it comes to equipment maintenance. For example, did you know that climbing rope MUST be replaced every 2 years, even if it hasn’t been used? Yup, it “expires” as the fibers lose their tautness. But try telling that to a vendor who is ill trained and hellbent on cutting costs. That’s when you end up with tragic stories in the adventure tourism space.
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