What are your key priorities as President of ATOAI over the next two years?
My foremost priorities are Membership and Mentorship, ensuring ATOAI delivers tangible value and direct business benefits to every member. We will institute structured mentorship programmes where industry veterans guide emerging operators in product curation, compliance and global marketing.
Alongside expanding chapter outreach and public-private partnerships, our goal is to build an empowered, closely knit community where members gain access to exclusive market intelligence, continuous upskilling and a stronger collective voice.
Another priority is strengthening ATOAI’s institutional framework and advocating for policies that formally recognise adventure tourism as a primary economic engine. We aim to expand capacity-building across regional chapters, foster robust public-private partnerships with state tourism boards and the Ministry of Tourism, and establish India as a safe, highly regulated and globally respected adventure hub.
What more is needed to strengthen safety, skills and operating standards?
Rapid growth must never compromise traveller safety. We need nationwide adoption and stringent enforcement of the Indian Adventure Tourism Guidelines (ATG). This entails institutionalising accredited operator certifications, regular safety audits and mandatory gear standards.
Equally vital is professionalising grassroots talent through certified risk-management courses and wilderness first-responder training, ensuring field leaders meet global safety benchmarks.
Where do you see India’s biggest untapped adventure tourism opportunities?
Contrary to common perception, the Indian Himalayas are still not well known globally—the world largely associates the range with Nepal, even though India is the custodian of 73% of the Himalayan region. We urgently need aggressive, high-impact global digital awareness campaigns showcasing India’s monumental natural heritage.
India’s greatest untapped opportunities lie in diversified year-round experiences: coastal and marine water sports, desert circuits, river expeditions and mountain biking across lesser-known corridors. To compete globally, we must streamline bureaucratic hurdles—especially single-window clearances and permit systems for remote zones—improve regional air and road connectivity, and execute targeted, quality-driven international marketing campaigns.
How can growth be balanced with conservation and community participation?
True sustainability means putting local communities at the centre of the value chain. By training local youth as guides, porters and enterprise owners, tourism revenue directly empowers host regions. Alongside this, the industry must adhere strictly to carrying capacities in fragile ecosystems, embed “Leave No Trace” principles into every itinerary, and actively invest in habitat conservation.
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