Using India’s G20 Presidency to Promote Adventure Travel

The G20 Presidency of India is considered as a step towards India’s goal of having a trillion-dollar tourist industry by the year 2047. A sector to speed up this growth is being considered, together with commerce and technology. Adventure tourism is described as a “vehicle for achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030” within the tourist industry. This essay seeks to clarify the needs and difficulties that the adventure tourism industry must deal with in order to accomplish these lofty objectives.

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) launched the narrative of rethinking and reinventing tourism on World Tourism Day in 2022 in Indonesia, and it is still going strong during India’s G20 Presidency. The Presidency offers India the chance to broaden its explanation of incoming tourism with a specific emphasis on adventure tourism and responsible and sustainable tourism, which has also been underlined in the meetings of the tourism working group.

With this strategy, adventure tourism will be used as a driver of economic development, job creation, and environmentally responsible travel. In 2024, 15 million foreign visitors are anticipated, generating more than $30 billion in revenue, thanks in large part to the G20 summit being held in India. By 2030, the goal is to produce $56 billion in foreign currency and create 140 million employment in the tourist industry. The adventure tourism sector in India is predicted to increase at a pace of 20% annually over the next five years, reaching a value of $2 billion by 2028. Adventure travel guarantees that 60–90% of the money stays with the local people, boosting their economic position and aligning with the government’s objective to “Make in India.”

With a goal of positioning India among the top 10 worldwide destinations by the end of the decade by improving infrastructure and establishing strong safety standards, the year 2018 was devoted to celebrating Indian adventure tourism. India provides thrilling and one-of-a-kind experiences all year long with more than 30 adventure verticals covering land, air, and sea. With its varied landscape and rich cultural legacy, including the Himalayan mountains in the north, Kerala’s backwaters in the south, deserts in the west, a long coastline in the east, and some exotic animal parks in the northeast, India offers enormous potential for adventure tourism. India has a large fan base throughout the globe and provides a variety of vacation spots and adventurous activities!

It is crucial to promote ethical and sustainable adventure tourism since sustainability is a primary concern for India’s G20 Presidency. It is possible to considerably increase foot traffic in India by implementing focused marketing initiatives to draw adventure enthusiasts from across the world, taking advantage of the nation’s natural advantages in this field.

A “Draught National Tourism Policy,” developed by the ministry of tourism, is also a comprehensive framework for the development of the nation’s tourist industry in a sustainable and responsible manner. A proposal to include adventure tourism into Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and to promote it in mission mode is also being addressed at the G20’s working groups on tourism. Prior to 2022, the “National Strategy of Adventure Tourism” was also introduced with the goal of establishing India as a top worldwide destination for ecotourism, adventure tourism, and sustainable tourism.

These declarations and agreements do contribute to the sector’s growth, but there are still issues that need special attention. Adventure tourism often occurs in vulnerable ecosystems like national parks, isolated mountain ranges, and other similar regions. Significant strain on these settings may result from an influx of visitors and uncontrolled, irresponsible adventure tourism, which can have an adverse effect on nearby communities and cause biodiversity loss. As adventure tourism expands quickly, ensuring sustainability and reducing environmental effect is a crucial concern. It may be challenging to strike a balance between the desire for adventurous experiences and ethical environmental behaviour. Adventure tourism prioritises excellent experiences with little environmental effect rather than mass tourist.

Making ensuring that participants are safe is essential for the long-term viability of the adventure tourism sector since risky activities like climbing, paragliding, river rafting, and zip line often include them. All of these factors emphasise how important it is for the sector to have adequate training and safety procedures.

To promote ethical and sustainable adventure tourism, lessen its environmental effect, and ensure the safety of the participants, many measures have been adopted. ‘Indian Adventure Tourism Guidelines’ were created in 2018 by the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and the Ministry of Tourism to offer Standard Operating Procedures for the community of adventure service providers, anticipating some of these problems.

These policies and plans have given the adventure tourism industry the much-needed boost, but it is now crucial that we proceed to the next stage of ensuring that these policies are put into practise under the auspices of the G20 tourism working groups. Since tourism is a state issue, only a few states have taken action in the last five to six years to develop laws and regulations. A push may be developed under the G20’s auspices to hasten the adoption of these plans and principles by other nations as well.

Additionally, it is essential for the government and other industry players to keep working together to ensure that the intended vision becomes a reality. This collaboration is required to make adventure tourism a significant force for economic development and growth in India.

By playing a responsible and thoughtful role when travelling, travellers may play a crucial part in this objective. This aspect of involvement, however, calls for in-depth discussion, awareness campaigns, and a distinct article.

Through “Promote Responsibly, Operate Responsibly: Buy Responsibly, Travel Responsibly,” it is crucial for both company owners and customers to concentrate on the responsible expansion of the industry.