ATOAI Annual Convention: Exploring New Frontiers

Globally, as adventure becomes one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism, India needs to seal its position as a leader, as the North Star of Sustainable Adventure Tourism over the next 10 years.

To set forth on this mission of making our country the world’s No. 1 destination, the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) hosted its 15th Annual Convention at Ekta Nagar, near the Statue of Unity, in association with the Government of Gujarat. From heads of governments to senior public officials, industry leaders to members of the media, stakeholders and experts from all over India ideated, collaborated, and pledged to work towards a common goal over three intensive days. In keeping with the spirit of sustainable and inclusive growth, concrete steps were also taken to make the convention one of the first carbon-neutral events in the country.

In mission mode with (left to right) Mr Anil Oraw, Regional Director, North East, Ministry of Tourism, Mr D Venkatesan, Regional Director (South, West & Central Region), Ministry of Tourism, Dr Sourabh Pardhi, Managing Director & Commissioner of Gujarat Tourism, Mr Milind Soman, adventure ambassador, Mr Pema Khandu, Honourable CM, Arunachal Pradesh, Lt. Gen. Rakesh Kapoor, VSM Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Mr Pravinbhai Mali, MLA Deesa, Gujarat, Mr Ajeet Bajaj, President, ATOAI, and Mr Vaibhav Kala, Vice President, ATOAI.

Key Highlights of the Event

Bridging the gap between intention and action can be critical to the success of any mission. To hit the ground running, and to reinforce its commitment to making India the No.1 Sustainable Adventure Tourism Destination in the world, ATOAI took a few key steps during its 15th Annual Convention.

• Team ATOAI drafted a Roadmap for Adventure Tourism in Gujarat— from planning and implementation to operationalizing and activating governance strategies—along with a practical Toolkit designed to evaluate the potential of adventure tour operators in the state. The Roadmap and Toolkit were unveiled at the convention by Mr. Mulubhai Bera, Minister of Tourism, Gujarat, Dr Darshnaben Deshmukh, MLA Nandod, and Pradeep Murthy, ATOAI Executive Committee Member.

• From mapping the carbon footprint of the entire event to native afforestation and buying certified carbon credits to offset the total carbon emissions, ATOAI left no stone unturned to make its 15th convention one of the first Carbon-Neutral events in the country! Jaideep Bansal, ATOAI member and CEO, GHE, shares the highlights from the carbon-mapping report with the attendees.

• ATOAI members also got the opportunity to travel across Northern Gujarat and Saurashtra to enjoy and experience the marvels of several destinations in the state and assess their potential as adventure tourism hubs.