PROJECT

REPORT
ON

ADVENTUR
E TOURISM

INTRODUCTION
Adventure Tourism
Adventure Tourism may be defined as a leisure activity that takes
place in an unusual, exotic, remote, or wilderness destination and
tends to be associated with high levels of involvement and
activity by the participants, most of it outdoors. Adventure
travelers are explorers of both an outer world, especially the
unspoiled, exotic parts of our planet and an inner world of
personal challenge, self perception and self mastery.
Adventure tourism is currently one of the fastest growing
segments of the tourism industry in British Columbia. Historically,
individuals drawn to work within the various adventure travel
activities have done so because of a primary interest in an
outdoor, travel-oriented lifestyle. Increasingly, these individuals
are confronting the need for skills such as good marketing and
business practices to stay employed and competitive within the
field.
Guides are the backbone of the adventure tourism industry.
Employers need competent, qualified guides who can provide
adequate care and safety for their clients. Many growing
companies in the adventure tourism industry are looking for
employees who are qualified in adventure sport activities and who
possess effective interpersonal, hospitality, and organizational
and business skills. The reality is that such guides are still hard to
find!

Most of the past and present adventure tourism businesses have

been started by these "lifestyle" operators, and we are just now
seeing tourism development investors beginning to actively seek
out viable operations within adventure travel tourism. This trend
will in turn create new issues to address in the integration of
operator and investoR.
Since the earliest explorers, adventure travel has been part of the
world's culture. Adventure tourism is a tour designed around an
adventurous activity such as rafting, hiking, or mountain climbing.
Be it fueled by sport, riches or escape from tyranny, exploration and
adventure tourism continues to thrive, change and grow every year.

Modern adventure travel was born with the first planned trek to the
Himalayas in Nepal decades ago. The first commercial rafting trips
in Ethiopia were made in the early 1970s. As political climates,
natural disasters and the taste of the adventurer change, so does
the adventure travel industry. Floating the Egyptian Nile and
climbing Mount Ararat were popular in the 1980s. In the 90s that
interest turned toward the Swiss Alps and diving in Thailand. On the
Edge magazine claims that the most popular adventure tours today
are taking place in the Central America region, such as kayaking in
the Dominican Republic or trekking through Costa Rica.

The term "adventure" means something different to everyone. For

some, sleeping outdoors may be an adventure. For others, it may
be a multi-day whitewater rafting trip that is both exciting and
physically challenging. Adventure tourism can be accomplished in
many environments, from scuba diving in Belize or Australia to
mountain climbing in Bhutan or Nepal. Traditionally, adventure
travel includes some type of sport. However, depending upon an
individual's physical abilities and desires, adventure tourism can
include a number of more passive activities, including guided tours,
mystery and murder-mystery tours.

Adventure tourism does not have to mean world travel and the term
"adventure" is how you define it. There are many types of
adventurous travels. You can take many adventure trips without the
use of an outfitter or guide service if you are familiar with the
activity involved. If you are traveling out of the country, are
unfamiliar with the activity or enjoy the comfort of having a guide,
the use of a guide service can save hours of homework and
logistical work.

there are many reasons why people travel. To me, travel is not
always about resorts or long hours spent reading a book listening to
the ocean waves crash onto the shore. Rest and relaxation is for
home. However travel is active, filled with a wide variety of risk,
daily motion, using my God given five senses to the fullest, and
planning for everything, only to expect nothing in return. However
this is only what travel is to me.

The core
characteristics
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Uncertain outcomes
Danger and risk
Challenge
Anticipated rewards
Novelty
Stimulation and excitement
Escapism and separation
Exploration and discovery
Absorption and focus
Contrasting emotions

There are many reasons why people travel. To me, travel is not always about resorts or long
hours spent reading a book listening to the ocean waves crash onto the shore. Rest and
relaxation is for home. However travel is active, filled with a wide variety of risk, daily motion,
using my God given five senses to the fullest, and planning for everything, only to expect
nothing in return. However this is only what travel is to me.

SOFT AND HARD

ADVENTURE
Soft Adventure is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry and with good
reason! More times than not, we want to experience more, to get more. And the best part of it all
there are absolutely no qualifications to enjoy this type of travel!Soft Adventure involves little
physical risk, little to no experience and offers more convenience in terms of comfort and
cuisine. Many of the activities are similar to those found in the 'Hard Adventure' category, only at
a less physically demanding level.
Soft Adventure activities include snorkeling, casual bicycle tours, cultural art walks, camping,
volunteer opportunities, fly fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, teambuilding, wildlife viewing, or
simply horseback riding.
Now let us step it up a notch, shall we? When comparing Soft vs. Hard Adventure travels, think
of it as this: The Rocky Mountains (14,000+ ft. peaks) is the kiddy pool and the Himalayas and
Mt. Everest is well adult swim.
Hard Adventure travel encompasses a higher element of risk, but more importantly you need to
be in either excellent physical condition or be mentally fit. Hard Adventure travel almost always
includes intimate experiences with the natural environment while enjoying local traditions and
cultures. Weather conditions are of no worry; neither is sleeping accommodations or diet. Its
entirely about the adventure!
A Hard Adventure travelers philosophy is simple: I came here to do what I planned to do and in
order to fulfill my goal; Ill take what comes my way and do what it is I need to do. Hard
Adventure activities include climbing expeditions, class V+ whitewater rafting/kayaking, several

day treks crossing several elevation changes, etc.

An important thing to remember is like anything, adventure travel has different classifications,
beginning with easy, medium, hard, and difficult. Climbing Mt. Everest isnt on everybodys to
do list, however, to still experience a trek through the Himalayas you may want to try the
Annapurnas (Nepal) for an enjoyable medium adventure.

Advantages of
Adventure Tourism
Adventure tourism started out small, but has gained market share throughout the world. This is
due in part to vacationers who want something different, to be able to use their time to make a
difference, or they may be looking to combine travel with their favorite sport or activity.
Whatever the reason, economically depressed areas and emerging markets can capitalize on the
opportunity presented by adventure tourism.

Added Jobs

Adventure tourism infuses money into the local economy. This happens in many ways, from
hosting travel groups, to support services such as food and transportation. If an economically
depressed area brings adventure tourism, jobs in transporting, housing, feeding, and entertaining
visitors are created.

Environmentally Friendly

Leaders in the adventure tourism industry are dedicated to making this tourism segement as
sustainable as possible. Xola, a company that partners with new and existing adventure tourism
operators, conducts industry research on the environmental impact of this type of travel. One of
their reports is "Brazil, Russia, India, China and Mexico: Balancing Adventure Travel Potential
with Climate Change and Water Scarcity."

Support Local Communities

Adventure tourism can bring humanitarian aid to areas that needs it. Adventure Aid is a
company that combines a traveler's desire to make a difference with a community in need. If
visitors help provide clean water or other needs, it not only benefits the community, but
strengthens the community's ability to provide for future travellers. The more tourists, the more
economic growth.
Creating Entrepreneurs
Adventure tourism is a relatively inexpensive industry to for a community to start. There are
companies that specialize in helping emerging adventure tourism operators market their
product. Partnering with an established company can help burgeoning markets gain credibility
faster, since they can avoid the mistakes that others made before them.

Economic Benefits of
Adventure Tourism
Adventure tourism has many benefits to the economies in which
the businesses are located. Adventure travel companies provide
significant opportunities for people all over the world, often in
places where economic development is stunted because of lack of
investment, education and access.

Ease of Development
o

The adventure tourism industry benefits from low capital start-up costs for
entrepreneurs, enabling the development of new markets in virtually any
economic area. These new developments often create opportunity for foreign
and local investments.

Job Creation
o

Adventure tourism and new companies that support it bring development

projects and new jobs, increasing the financial gains for local people in that
location.

Environmental Awareness
o

Adventure travel fuels environmental awareness. Adventure tourism

companies lead initiatives that raise awareness of activities and practices that
have a low environmental impact.

Better Land Management

o

Adventure tourism gives communities a financial reason to take a second

look at land usage.

Increased Education and Health Benefits

o

In addition to increased employment, local people benefit from the

educational and health benefits that a sustainable economy brings. According to
the Adventure Travel Trade Association's 2008 Development Index Report, "The
prospect of employment and participation in a growing economy encourages

interest in education."

Giving Back to Communities

o

Murray Bartholomew, membership administrator of the Adventure Travel

Trade Association, stated in a news release that adventure travel companies
"demonstrate ongoing cultural, social and economic commitment" by
establishing foundations that allow the tourism company and its customers to
give back to the supporting communities.

Himalaya promises every

climber their share of
adventure, which lures them
to the mountains
AERO Experience
Just like on the land, there are various adventure opportunities in the air too. Man has for times
immemorial, longed to glide and soar like a bird in the sky. Parasailing and Paragliding are
indeed, experiences which combine the wonder of smooth sailing in the air and the thrill of
soaring high. Once in the air, you experience the ethereal serenity of the sport. It is an
experience that is, surprisingly, thrilling as well as becalming.

Other Activities
Other extreme sports include the likes of skiing which is seasonal in nature and can be only
carried out during the winters.
Another very popular activity is bungee jumping which can be carried out even in the urban
areas with the help of the required infrastructure.
The potential MARKET AREAS

Popular Destinations
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Himachal Pradesh is a complex mosaic of hills, lush green valleys and snow-covered peaks.
The name itself originates from the ancient Sanskrit - hima (snow) and achal (that which cannot
be moved).
This land of fascination and mystery with its age-old culture kindles deep interest and
commands respect. It is replete with dense forests, fast-flowing rivers, terraced fields, snowcovered mountains, small fairyland villages and friendly folk - all adding to its charm! Himachal
Pradesh is also a treasure trove of ancient arts and crafts and rich traditions.
PROs
Established tourism Infrastructure like Hotels etc.
Abundance of natural resources for conducting activities.
Excellent govt. Support in setting up of new ventures.
Trained Human resources available.
CONs
Market filled with unstructured profit making activities.
Overcrowding of popular tourist centres.
Local resistance present will affect the business.
Many areas inaccessible.

GOA
Goa is a paradise for water sports lovers and has always appealed beach enthusiast and water
sports lovers. The long coastal stretches offer loads of opportunities to indulge in all sorts of
water-sport activities and also to try on some new watery excitement. Surf the seas or float
across the skies, the options of sport enjoyment is never ending in Goa. One can never get tired
of scuba diving into the wreckage of the colonial ships. The para-gliding, para-sailing, acquatics
sports, water-skiing and wind surfing will be completely thrilling.
Source: Ministry of Tourism, GOI

PROs
105km of coastline provides ample opportunity for implementing innovative ideas.
As shown above, Goa has the largest turnover of tourists in India.
Easy accessibility with good road and rail transport and fully functional Intl Airport.
CONs
Lack of law and order.
Poor transport facilities within Goa.
Untrained hospitality staff.
High costs due to black marketing.

Untapped
Destinations
North-East Region
The rich natural beauty, serenity and exotic flora and fauna of the area are invaluable resources
for the development of ecotourism. The region is endowed with diverse tourist attractions and
each State has its own distinct features. North East India presents some very outstanding and
challenging adventure sports in India for the adventure enthusiasts coming from all over.
PROs
Untapped Market.
Ideal Terrain for adventure sports.
Readily available human resource which can be trained according to the needs.
Government of India attaches great importance to the development of tourist infrastructure in
the North Eastern region in view of its immense tourism potential.
CONs
Lack of infrastructure.

Climatic extremities are hard to overcome in some regions.

Social unrest can be disturbing.

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR Islands

This UT does not have any other competitive advantage that comes even remotely close to
tourism, because of the beauty and abundance of its natural resources. Theres tremendous
scope for adventure sports, scuba diving & snorkeling, swimming, sun-bathing, trekking and just
soaking in nature at its most beautiful. However, till now, in the absence of a specifically stated
tourism policy and a strategic implementation plan, and any gains accruing are more through
serendipity rather than conscious effort.
PROs
Popular amongst both local and international tourists.
Tourism is the main stay of the region, thus all the development is centred towards the
infrastructure for tourists activities.
Easy availability of human resources.
CONs
Not an accessible region as travelling from mainland takes lots of time and money.
Dearth of basic infrastructure in areas except for the capital Port Blair.
Thus the analysis of the various regions indicates that Indian Tourism has loads of untapped
potential. Evident lack of policy or vision from the government has resulted in its inability to
scale up infrastructure. If that is taken care of there can a surge in the number of tourist
indulging in adventure travel.

TARGET CUSTOMERS
Over the last ten years, India has witnessed substantial changes in its leisure and travel choices
and demands. This can be attributed to the rapidly growing economy, supported by globalisation
and privatisation, which has lead to increased spending power and greater leisure time. Now,
instead of spending a holiday being herded around in a tour bus, the sophisticated Indian
traveller wants experience-oriented vacations. This has made adventure tourism a particularly
exciting field to be in. According to Pranav Kukreti, Director, Marketing, of Treks n Rapids, The
psychology of the modern Indian traveller has changed completely. Gone are the days when

they were happy with simply staying in a resort in Shimla or Nainital. Now, they want excitement
and adventure,
The tourism industry fetches two million adventure tourists and is growing at over 35 per cent
annually. It is estimated that India has the potential to attract another half a million foreign
adventure tourists. The domestic market is also set to see a ten-fold growth in the next five
years. This rise can be majorly attributed to the changing consumer behaviour of the urban
population.
It will be appropriate to divide the study of the customers into Domestic and International.

So, Adventure tourism is a complex industry with a wide

variety of elements and suppliers. Some of these suppliers are
also part of the mainstream tourism industry such as
accommodation operators while others are specific to adventure
tourism like equipment manufactures. The growth of adventure
tourism has been fuelled by the activities of specialist tour
operators who focus on adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is
the most exciting and popular among all types of tourism [R.M.
Ahuja, pp.296, 2011]. The paper aims to introducer the notion of

adventure tourism while analyzing the fundamental components

of adventure tourism offers key definitions examines the
relationship between adventure tourism and other established
form of tourism sectors and puts forward various typologies, to
help to understand the nature and scope of adventure tourism.
Adventure is an attitude that must be adopted by people against
the unknown in order to find unique potential. Journey, meaning
mishap, adventure has gained in significance for adventure
becomes a form of knowledge enhanced by new technologies.
Adventure tourism involves visiting a region almost unaffected by
human impact, with specific features for engaging in risky sports
that require physical effort relatively high performance and
greater risk taking.
Adventure travel is associated with that tourists could discover
new things. Therefore, they did travel the world to be so large
that it knows the existence of other people, to discover
continents, peoples. In a journey the tourist knows he is willing to
maximum responsiveness, has around strangers, new places and
begin to analyze, observe everything to teach and protect, so
travel is a form of knowledge, complicity and transparency. It is a
method of self-recovery, reconciliation and restoration, learning
and accumulation.

CASE STUDY

Water Sport & Adventure Tourism at Indira Sagar

Madhya Pradesh has a wide range of adventure sports such as wildlife sanctuaries, mountains,
rivers that make MP an exotic place to visit, which is attracting the domestic as well as the
international tourists.
Apart from these natural regions the Government of MP is intending to promote other regions
such as Indira Sagar water reservoir for tourism. The GoMP has proposed to come-up with the
Adventure Tourism Zone at Indira Sagar in Khandwa district.
This Zone would have two phases wherein one phase would be developed near the mentioned
reservoir and the second phase would be developed on the island formed near the dam.
The Zone would have various water sports, trekking, mountaineering facilities along with the
traditional accommodation facilities.
The project is expected to attract tourists primarily from the State and other parts of the Country.
The proposed location is well connected with the major cities of the State through road and rail.
Private Players have been invited to undertake the proposed project wherein the Private Player
would build, own, maintain and operate the project.

PROJECT RATIONALE
The prime reason for increase in demand for adventure sports is the growth youth tourism which
has been identified as one of the largest segments of global and domestic tourism. The growing
number of young travellers is being fuelled by a number of factors such as increased
participation in higher education, falling level of youth unemployment, increased travel budget
through parental contribution, quest for exciting and unique experiences and cheaper long
distance travel. These young travellers form a major contribute to adventure tourism revenue.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
The State Government would assist the private investor in identifying, immediate approval and
clearance of the suitable land for the project. Further, the Government would also make basic
infrastructure available at the site such as water, electricity, road etc. The State Government has
identified adventure/ eco tourism as key segment of tourism and gives some incentives specific
to the industry.
This case study gives the clear indication that this is an upcoming area of business and has huge
potential and the best way forward is collaborating the effort towards successful brand building.
MARKET METRICS

Threats
Entry of multinational agencies to dominate the business.
Lack of Govt. Support
Low operational cost for the unorganised sector
Generic competition with other tourists attractions.
Opportunities
High growth rate of leisure travel
Rising influence of Indian Middle class
Holidaying becoming a status symbol.
Corporate support to adventure tours and travels
More consumption power.
WEAKNESS

High infrastructural cost.

Low level of marketing
Psychological resistance to adventure sports in Indian mentality.
Lack of collaboration and networking among the existing players.
STRENGTH

Offering something new and exciting to the huge Indian Population.

Success abroad can be emulated domestically by collaboration.
Increasing interest of foreign tourists in India.
High growth potential

The market metrics can be analysed by doing a SWOT analysis of the adventure
travel in India.
MARKET GROWTH

The per capita income of the Indian citizen rose by 12.7 % during the fiscal year
2008-09.(Reserve Bank of India).
The foreign tourists arrival in India registered a growth of 5.6% during the year
2008.(Ministry of Tourism, Annual Report 2008-09)
Both of the above mentioned statistics indicate an increase in the demand for the
adventure travel services. While the domestic travellers will continue to send their
ever increasing earnings, the foreign tourists will continue to venture out to the
lesser explored countries like India.
Thus, it is now in the hands of the industry players to tap the clear and present
opportunity and act proactively with or without the collaboration of the
government authorities to gain head on advantage in the upcoming field of
business in the tourism industry.

CONCLUSION

Adventure Travel service currently available in the

tourism market as it is being offered to the
customers at a quality which is nowhere close to
world class and is relative expensive option for the
Indian consumer. The industry needs to collaborate
amongst itself and with the
support of the government try providing highly
satisfactory Adventure travel to its customers at an
affordable price. Only then will it be able to market
its product convincingly and effectively to the
customers, ensuring a growth oriented sustainable
future.