Chapter 1

Introduction
Adventure Tourism in India

The Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The socio-economic benefits to the rural economy by adventure travel has been a
constant feature of the sector, irrespective of the political and economic
conditions. During
the post-independence period, the frequency of adventure travel lost some
impetus and was
restrained to the province of prosperous adventurers owing to the heavy cost of
travel and the
complexities involved in travelling to remote regions. The Government too, in the
initial
years, put emphasis upon up-grading the nation’s economy through the primary
and
secondary sectors, and major emphasis was put upon in promoting the historical
and cultural
heritage of India. The thriving in the adventure tourism sector can in part be
accredited to the
economic growth post, especially around the new millennium based on the rapid
augmentation of the information technology sector (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
As economic growth implied that the travellers, especially the youth segment,
who are
more drawn into such activities and have a higher travel inclination, had more
disposable
income, and could afford the moderately higher costs involved in adventure and
nature based
products. Adventure tourism infrastructure also has a major role to play in
religious tourism,
as a considerable number of the popular religious sites like the Char Dhams in
Uttarakhand
are located in remote locations, and require a high level of technical expertise to
deal with the
large amount of pilgrims in ecologically sensitive environments. Not only this,
inbound as
well as adventure travellers have a strong tendency to make an addition of socio-
cultural or
historical extensions to their core adventure itinerary, and thereby,
complementing other
niches as well (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The socio-economic benefits to the rural economy by adventure travel has been a
constant feature of the sector, irrespective of the political and economic
conditions. During
the post-independence period, the frequency of adventure travel lost some
impetus and was
restrained to the province of prosperous adventurers owing to the heavy cost of
travel and the
complexities involved in travelling to remote regions. The Government too, in the
initial
years, put emphasis upon up-grading the nation’s economy through the primary
and
secondary sectors, and major emphasis was put upon in promoting the historical
and cultural
heritage of India. The thriving in the adventure tourism sector can in part be
accredited to the
economic growth post, especially around the new millennium based on the rapid
augmentation of the information technology sector (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
As economic growth implied that the travellers, especially the youth segment,
who are
more drawn into such activities and have a higher travel inclination, had more
disposable
income, and could afford the moderately higher costs involved in adventure and
nature based
products. Adventure tourism infrastructure also has a major role to play in
religious tourism,
as a considerable number of the popular religious sites like the Char Dhams in
Uttarakhand
are located in remote locations, and require a high level of technical expertise to
deal with the
large amount of pilgrims in ecologically sensitive environments. Not only this,
inbound as
well as adventure travellers have a strong tendency to make an addition of socio-
cultural or
historical extensions to their core adventure itinerary, and thereby,
complementing other
niches as well (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The socio-economic benefits to the rural economy by adventure travel has been a
constant feature of the sector, irrespective of the political and economic
conditions. During
the post-independence period, the frequency of adventure travel lost some
impetus and was
restrained to the province of prosperous adventurers owing to the heavy cost of
travel and the
complexities involved in travelling to remote regions. The Government too, in the
initial
years, put emphasis upon up-grading the nation’s economy through the primary
and
secondary sectors, and major emphasis was put upon in promoting the historical
and cultural
heritage of India. The thriving in the adventure tourism sector can in part be
accredited to the
economic growth post, especially around the new millennium based on the rapid
augmentation of the information technology sector (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
As economic growth implied that the travellers, especially the youth segment,
who are
more drawn into such activities and have a higher travel inclination, had more
disposable
income, and could afford the moderately higher costs involved in adventure and
nature based
products. Adventure tourism infrastructure also has a major role to play in
religious tourism,
as a considerable number of the popular religious sites like the Char Dhams in
Uttarakhand
are located in remote locations, and require a high level of technical expertise to
deal with the
large amount of pilgrims in ecologically sensitive environments. Not only this,
inbound as
well as adventure travellers have a strong tendency to make an addition of socio-
cultural or
historical extensions to their core adventure itinerary, and thereby,
complementing other
niches as well (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
The socio-economic benefits to the rural economy by adventure travel has been a
constant feature of the sector, irrespective of the political and economic
conditions. During
the post-independence period, the frequency of adventure travel lost some
impetus and was
restrained to the province of prosperous adventurers owing to the heavy cost of
travel and the
complexities involved in travelling to remote regions. The Government too, in the
initial
years, put emphasis upon up-grading the nation’s economy through the primary
and
secondary sectors, and major emphasis was put upon in promoting the historical
and cultural
heritage of India. The thriving in the adventure tourism sector can in part be
accredited to the
economic growth post, especially around the new millennium based on the rapid
augmentation of the information technology sector (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
As economic growth implied that the travellers, especially the youth segment,
who are
more drawn into such activities and have a higher travel inclination, had more
disposable
income, and could afford the moderately higher costs involved in adventure and
nature based
products. Adventure tourism infrastructure also has a major role to play in
religious tourism,
as a considerable number of the popular religious sites like the Char Dhams in
Uttarakhand
are located in remote locations, and require a high level of technical expertise to
deal with the
large amount of pilgrims in ecologically sensitive environments. Not only this,
inbound as
well as adventure travellers have a strong tendency to make an addition of socio-
cultural or
historical extensions to their core adventure itinerary, and thereby,
complementing other
niches as well (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013).
he Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013)
he Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013)
he Indian sub-continent is regarded as the home to the highest mountain ranges
in
the world. These are the Himalayas and they have continuously held a demand
for the
travellers from throughout the world. In addition to the geographical diversity of
other parts
of the country, the other areas are the Western Ghats, the Thar Desert, the Rann
of Kutch, the
Eastern Ghats, the Konkan coast, hills, mountains, natural environmental
conditions and the
central Indian plateau region, wildlife, coast and islands, rivers. The country has a
surplus of
adventure activities to provide for across a wide range of sections within the
adventure space.
Adventure in the Indian subcontinent was assisted by the early mountaineers and
explorers
from Europe to the Himalayan regions during the colonial rule. A majority of them
assumed
under the patronage of the country’s rulers as a means of discovering new
avenues in their
imperialistic ambitions, as well as instituting political supremacy by tapping the
ethos of
national pride through such expeditions (Off the Beaten Trail, 2013)
State Wise List of Adventure Tourism Destinations and Adventure Activities Practised:
Among the adventure activities mentioned above most of are short term (taking less
than 3 month). However, some of the activities attract more tourist than others and also
tour operators preferred to carry some activities more frequently due to greater public
demand. The activities which have greater public demand with the respective
percentage of operation are mentioned below: (activities are divided into three
categories i.e. land based, air based & water based)
Objectives
1. To study different types of adventure tourism in India.
2. To study the impact of adventure tourism on economy.
3. To identify the reason of people opting adventure tourism.

To study different types of adventure tourism activities in India

  Trekking and Mountaineering
India's snow-capped peaks and wilderness to the north make it a delight for trekkers
and mountaineers. Easy treks, difficult treks, long treks, short treks -- the options are
almost endless

Where: The Himalaya region.

 Rafting and Kayaking

Rafting and white water rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable
raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or
different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk and the need for teamwork is often a
part of the experience

Where: The Himalaya region, including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

(Rishikesh), and Sikkim. Also in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

 Paragliding
 Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying
paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid
primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing

Where: Bir Billing in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Kamshet,

between Mumbai and Pune, in Maharashtra.

 Water Sports
Traditional water sports such as parasailing, jet skiing, water skiing, windsurfing, and
banana boat rides have been popular for many years in India. Newer activities, such as
kite surfing ( surfing while hanging onto a kite high up in the sky) , are now catching on
as well. 

Where: Water sports are offered all along Goa's beaches. In north Goa, particularly
around Candolim, Calangute, Morjim, and Arambol beaches. Also selected beaches in
south Goa, such as Benaulim.
  Motorcycle Touring
Touring India on a motorcycle is the ultimate way of exploring the countryside

 Where: All over the country, including the Himalaya region, Rajasthan, and south
India.

 Heli Skiing
Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding reached by helicopter.

Where: Himachal Pradesh (based in Manali) and Kashmir (based in Srinagar).

  Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving where the diver uses a self-contained
underwater breathing apparatus, which is completely independent of surface supply, to
breathe underwater

Where: Havelock Islands (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Grand Island, Goa.

 Wildlife
Wildlife tourism is an element of many nations' travel industry centered around
observation and interaction with local animal and plant life in their natural
habitats. While it can include eco- and animal-friendly tourism, safari hunting and
similar high-intervention activities also fall under the umbrella of wildlife
tourism. Wildlife tourism, in its simplest sense, is interacting with wild animals in
their natural habitat, either by actively (e.g. hunting/collection) or passively (e.g.
watching/photography)

Where: Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand, Kanha

National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
IMPACT OF TOURISM ON ECONOMY:
POSITIVE IMPACTS:

1. Generating Income and Employment: Tourism in India has emerged as an

instrument of income and employment generation, poverty alleviation and sustainable
human development. It contributes 6.77% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total
employment in India. Almost 20 million people are now working in the India’s tourism
industry.

2. Source of Foreign Exchange Earnings: Tourism is an important source of foreign

exchange earnings in India. This has favourable impact on the balance of payment of
the country. The tourism industry in India generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and
that is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate.

3. Preservation of National Heritage and Environment: Tourism helps preserve several

places which are of historical importance by declaring them as heritage sites.

4. Developing Infrastructure: Tourism tends to encourage the development of multiple-

use of infrastructure that benefits the host community, including various means of
transports, health care facilities, and sports centers.

5. Promoting Peace and Stability: Tourism industry can also help promote peace and
stability in developing country like India by providing jobs, generating income &
diversifying the economy.

6. The Multiplier Effect: The flow of money generated by tourist spending multiplies as it
passes through various sections of the economy.

7. Regional Development: The underdeveloped regions of the country can greatly

benefit from tourism development. Many of the economically backward regions contain
areas of high scenic beauty and cultural attractions.

8. Economic Value of Cultural Resources: Tourism provides monetary incentives for the
development of many local crafts and culture, thus it has an effect on the income of the
local artisans and artists

9. Promotion of International Understanding: Tourism can also become an effective tool

to develop a better understanding and interaction amongst people of different countries.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS:
 1. Undesirable Social and Cultural Change: Tourism sometimes led to the destruction
of the social fabric of a community, the more tourists coming into a place, the more the
perceived risk of that place losing its identity.

2. Increase Tension and Hostility: Tourism can increase tension, hostility, and suspicion
between the tourists and the local communities when there is no respect and
understanding for each other’s culture and way of life.

3. Creating a Sense of Antipathy: Tourism brought little benefit to the local community.
In most all inclusive package tours more than 80% of travelers’ fees go to the airlines,
hotels and other international companies, not to local businessmen and workers.

4. Adverse Effects on Environment and Ecology: One of the most important adverse
effects of tourism on the environment is increased pressure on the carrying capacity of
the ecosystem in each tourist locality.

5. Import Leakage: This commonly occurs when tourists demand standards of

equipment, food, drinks, and other products that the host country cannot supply,
especially developing countries.

6. Seasonal Character of Job: The job opportunities related to tourism industry are
seasonal in nature as they are available only during the tourist season.

7. Increase in Prices: Increasing demand for basic services and goods from tourists will
often cause price hikes that negatively affect local residents whose income does not
increase proportionately
SWOT Analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the Indian
Tourism at an overall level, in view of the challenges thrown up by competing nations,
as understood from the feedback received from different sources, discussed above, are
elaborated below

Strength

• India has an immense bouquet of destinations of diverse types, more than what many
countries have to offer together at an aggregate level.

• A rich saga which offers an unique combination of past and present, which includes
architecture, culture, modern amenities and facilities as well

• Some products like “Rural Tourism” are unique in nature, which no other country has
thought of or conceived of.

• A wonderful promotional campaign which has attracted attention of millions of globe

trotters across the world.

Weaknesses

Lack of co-ordination amongst the States as well as Centre in promoting destinations/

products. The Centre as well as the State promotes destinations independently. Such
multiplicity of destinations creates confusion in the minds of the foreign tourists visiting /
willing to visit India as where should one start from?

• Procedure for release of Visa is a comparatively lengthy procedure, compared to the

South East Asian nations

• Certain airports lack appropriate infrastructure which promulgates foreign airlines to

shy away from them

• Lack of appropriate connectivity amongst certain prime destinations within the country.
E.g. Air fares between certain domestic destinations within the country is equivalent or
somewhat more than connecting flights abroad

• Lack of quality accommodation facility amongst major destinations across the country.
Demand spurs higher room rent, which eats up considerable proportion of a foreign
tourist’s budget. Subsequently, the tourist stays for a considerably lesser time and in the
process has limited period of exposure to the country and its resources in general

• Climate of certain locations within India being temperate in nature, there is

considerable hindrance in marketing those places as a “365 day destination” unlike
major South East Asian Countries, which have geared up its infrastructure to deal with
this type of climate
Opportunity

• India as a destination provides “value for money” compared to the other South East
Asian as well as South Asian nations

• India offers diverse kinds and types of destination, in form of a complete package,
compared to the south east/ far east countries which strongly promote one or two
themes/ products.

• Wide base of English speaking population – a major advantage compared to the South
East Asian nations

• Booming economy, growing foreign investment in the major sectors have prompted
immense flow of foreigners in recent times. Word of mouth has promoted Indian
Tourism on the whole.

• The International events like the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in the
year 2010 presents India with a platform to attract more and more foreign visitors.

Threat

• China is developing its infrastructure keeping in mind the 2008 Olympics and it plans
to use this as a major event in attracting tourists. The Beijing – Lhasa railway line is an
important indicator in this direction.

• Pro active and systematic marketing efforts of the comparatively smaller South East
Asian nations and their focus on developing an infrastructure based on tourism.

• Off late, Sri Lanka is actively promoting it’s tourism resources with focus mainly on its
natural resources (sprawling beaches, evergreen forests, tea gardens)

• Dubai is aggressively marketing itself as a major tourism destination. The world’s most
ambitious project, the Dubai waterfront is shaping up to be a major tourist attraction of
the world, which on completion is likely to draw scores of tourists to witness this
engineering marvel.
 To identify the reasons of people opting for adventure tourism
 Spending time outdoors reduces stress

There’s a reason why there’s a smile on everyone’s face after they’ve come back from
an active adventure – because they’re happier for it! All the stresses of life just melt
away as you embark among some of the most stunning sceneries in the world.

 Nature makes exercise easier

Exercise feels easier when you are viewing the colour green, such as on trees, grass
and other plants in nature.

 Nature can rejuvenates your soul

One of the best reasons to spend time outdoors trekking and cycling is that it can
reinvigorate your mental state

 Gain a sense of accomplishment

Regardless of age and size, taking on an overseas adventure can create feelings
associated with personal achievement. The more difficult the trek and the greater the
challenge, the more sense of achievement we feel when we accomplish those goals.

 Travel increases your self-awareness

A bi-product of travel is raising your self-awareness and it’s one of the most beneficial
parts of taking on an adventurous trip overseas.Adventure travel brings you closer to
your “inner self”, giving you the chance to examine and challenge yourself in ways you
didn’t think were possible

 The outdoors can make you smarter

Immersing yourself in the outdoors can increase your higher order cognition in more
ways than one

 To make new friends

 Learn new skills

The experiences gained from entering new surroundings and immersing yourself in

their culture creates exciting challenges that can enable you to expand your skill set.
Chapter 2

Research Methodology

Primary data:

1. Questionnaire

Secondary data:

1. Government of ministry tourism

2. Research paper
3.
Conclusion

Tourism has become the world's largest industry, generating wealth and employment,
opening the minds of both visitors and the visited to different ways of life. In worldwide
this industry currently employs more than 200 million people. Moreover tourism is one of
the best instruments of economic development in all the way. Tourism sector plays a
vital role in the way of helping poor countries to provide employment opportunities in an
increasing rate. It is one of the important foreign exchange earning industries has
manifested great potential of growth under liberalized Indian economy. The tourism
industry in India is substantial and vibrant and the country is fast becoming a major
global destination. Moreover tourism industry is significantly supported to grow
horticultures, handicrafts, agriculture, construction, poultry and the like. Today, tourism
has become more inclusive of new concepts which require the support of the
government to develop and flourish. There is a need to propagate these concepts with
dedicated policies formed for the development of tourism. Effective implementation of
the policies will help in the growth of the industry overall. Moreover, since tourism is a
multi-dimensional activity, and basically a service industry, it would be necessary that all
wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary organizations
become active partners in the endeavor to attain sustainable growth in tourism if India is
to become a world player in the tourism industry.