Footprints on the Mountainside

The Tourism ministry insists that they want to promote adventure tourism in India. Like cultural tourism, etc. Basically what they want is more tourists.

There are fancy initiatives and Incredible India and what-nots. Yet, how much attention is paid to actually facilitating tourism? How much attention is paid to ensure that the tourists come? Sure, tourists come. India has been a hotspot for travellers for thousands of years. But, if we want more, what do we do to ensure that the people who we invite are able to come and have a good experience?

What we have in the name of tourism is fancy packages. Sure. That is one element of tourism. Yet, somewhere down the line, we forget that we are actually inviting people to experience the country. We have invited them. They are our guests.

Seth Godin shared an experience in a visa office and talks about several, really easy to manage things that could make the experience more inviting. Not just inviting, it could translate into better revenue from more tourists, convenient airline bookings, welcoming interaction…. I can empathise with this post so much. How many of us really enjoy conversing with a person behind thick glass, waiting in a place with inadequate seating that is in disrepair……. would we want to do business with such people? Perhaps…. if we needed the product. But tourism is not a need. It is a dream we are selling. Could selling dreams become more interesting in a condusive environment that says we are interested in you?

When I set up Wide Aware, I had a talk with my CA, who needed to know the nature of business for figuring out tax and things. It was a rude awakening to know that the Tourism Ministry’s invite for people to provide adventure services hasn’t made it to the Tax Office. There IS no category for adventure services. It was a pain figuring out “what we were”. We are not travel agents, we do training, but we are not consultants - we do outbound training and fun programmes as well, We do outdoor education, but we are not an educational institution…….. If the memo had made the journey to the  Tax office, it would be a simple matter of “adventure services”. So, we want to promote adventure tourism, but of course, there is no adventure service provider in India. Really! Please bring your own rafting guide with you. We have the rivers. And yeah, travel agents conduct wildlife tours.

Rafting reminds me…. the river rafting that we do uses water from the dam at Bhire for the rapids. There have been numerous attempts over the years to try and bring some kind of predictability to it, so that the adventure tourism that the tourism ministry wants can happen. Nah! The dam officials don’t work in the tourism ministry, therefore it is not their problem. Thus, there is no way of knowing if water will be available, or you refund your bookings until the rafting run starts. Granted, the water is released almost everyday, but try explaining to a tourist waiting with gear ready that “oops! You get a refund - remember the cancellation clause that refers to events beyond our control?”

Last year, Amita wrote about a similar problem she had with Brightlands resort in Matheran. The hotel had overbooked, and she didn’t get the room she had booked. She took a refund, and when she called up the hotel owner, he told her that refunds were against their policy!!! There needs to be some kind of a regulation for this. I am not speaking of consumer courts, but enough issues in consumer courts reflecting in your licence.

There are tourists, there are locations, there are providers. What needs to be done is making that confluence easy and enjoyable.

One of my freelancers was just enjoying a cup of tea with me during some spare time on a programme. He wanted some advice, and I had all the time in the world, unless something went wrong, so we plunged into the subject.

He had been offered a job with another company and was wondering if he should be taking it. He does some freelance work with Hills and Trails, Wild country Learning, us, OET, and some other companies as well, and earns, (like most other free lance outbound resource people in India) in a very erratic manner. A good month is riches and luxury and some months are a step away from being very badly broke. Not that it isn’t the same with any self employed person, but I find this particularly of concern in the outdoor adventure industry in India.

The salary offered in this case was pitiful, but it would be guaranteed every month. On the other hand, this boy would lose his freedom to choose jobs that he liked, paid well or even helped him learn and develop. It was a tough decision.

Most Indians are not too aware of adventure tourism, and even those aware of it are not always happy to pay big money. Most adventure businesses do reasonably well, but the pool of freelancers we mint our fortunes on, are not as lucky. Some of us are now taking care to offer better rates, more reliable working relationships, some security, etc.

But on the whole, an adventure instructor in India, is leading a life with its economy also in a desperate rescue scenario.

Most such people are more into the business as it doesn’t require any specific qualifications or skills beyond those they can earn on the job. So they aren’t always equipped to have any other profession. They are in a physically demanding profession, and even barring accidents, very few can work in the field as they grow older. They need to be able to figure out other ways of sustaining and providing for their futures, which is something that doesn’t really seem to occur to them.

Not having the benefits of a regular income, or investments through the work place, there is also no source of back up for money. Hardly any invest in any sizeable life insurance, medical insurance or even basic “nest-eggs” for emergencies.

I suggested the best I could. I asked him to tell his new employer that the amount offered was really low, and he couldn’t accept it, unless he was allowed to accept bookings from other companies on the days when the company employing him did not require him. In my opinion, he should have asked for a basic amount per month, with an additional smaller amount calculated according to the number of days he spent in the field. This is what I offer my regulars. Unfortunately, his new employer wouldn’t have allowed that, and I don’t have vacancies.

I hope things work out for him.

I came across this press release in my relentless surfing (when I find the time). I found this to be an interesting concept. Most vacations are contributing to the degradation of the environment and global warming. These guys have come up with a novel idea. What they do is buy a certain amount of credits with money from client payments that goes toward projects targetted toward decreasing the amounts of methane in the atmosphere. Methane is one major culprit in the global warming scenario.

This money is used to fund expensive projects on livestock farms to capture the methane released in the area and convert it into energy for use on the farm, which also results in savings. Needless to say, such a project can be very expensive and this is where the money from aware citizens comes into play. Even if they cannot physically do the work, they certainly can support it. What a brilliant idea!

This is a programme not happening in India currently. I wonder how we at Wide Aware can do something about it, or perhaps create an initiative in a similar, constructive direction….

*Makes a mental note to figure out a way and share it with the people*

I just came across this bizarre, but interesting bit of news on the internet. Where most of us whine about the sorrows of travelling on rough terrain in sorry local transport, here’s a novel idea that transforms it into an adventure anyone would wish to join.

Take a look:

Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry, is sponsoring the latest travel adventure in the name of charity, The Rickshaw Run – a 2,000-mile trek across India’s toughest terrain in the world’s most unsuitable vehicle, the auto-rickshaw.

Based on the success of this year’s Mongol Rally, an 8,000-mile charity race from London to Mongolia, the League of Adventurists and .travel, the top-level Internet domain created exclusively for the travel and tourism industry, have once again teamed up to bring travelers a memorable charity event.

Beginning in Cochin in Southern India on December 28, 2006 with a game of cricket, 34 teams from seven countries will embark on the two-week journey through India’s mountains and jungles, encountering everything from searing heat and mud to mechanical failure along the way – all in an effort to cross the finish line in Darjeeling for a spot of afternoon tea.

“These auto-rickshaws are uncomfortable, loud, smelly and totally unsuitable in every way imaginable,” says event organizer Tom Morgan. “They’re the perfect vehicle to tackle a monstrous 2000-mile adventure over wild terrain and dirt tracks. Each rickshaw is only 150cc and is sure to break down on us at every possible and inconvenient point. Think of them as a motorized mule.”

Throughout the course of the Rickshaw Run, the teams will travel through very remote areas with no support system of any kind. While there is no specific route, drivers have the option to cross a number of prearranged checkpoints. The knackered, bruised and dirty teams that manage to cross the finish line are expected to arrive for a celebratory cup of tea in Darjeeling after roughly two weeks. ”The Rickshaw Run is going to be incredible fun,” explains Morgan. “It’s a great adventure, but also a great opportunity to contribute to a worthwhile cause and help out some of the poorer members of the communities we’ll be visiting.”

“We are proud to be the title sponsor for this amazing event and worthwhile cause,” expressed Andruff. “As part of an initiative that promotes a new age of how travel information will be found and with a goal to galvanize the global travel community under its exclusive space on the Internet, we believe .travel provides the perfect ally for the League of Adventurists and their Rickshaw Run.”

Like the Mongol Rally, the Rickshaw Run also aims to make a significant contribution to charity. Each team must raise a minimum of about $1,300 to cover the cost of purchasing their auto-rickshaw, as well as any necessary repairs. At the end of the race, all vehicles will be donated in an effort to combat the injustices of excessive hire charges and exorbitant loans common to poor auto-rickshaw drivers. The process is being coordinated by a local NGO, monitored by Mercy Corps UK.

Established to lift the tourism industry out of the anonymity of the ‘.com’ web, .travel empowers the broad spectrum of bona fide travel-related businesses and organizations to better promote their products and services within their own industry specific space on the Internet. Travel entities that wish to purchase a .travel domain name can e-mail placenames@travel.travel or call 001-954-769-5999.

Link:http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/20061213103850191

TOURISM MINISTRY PROMOTES INDIA AS A 365-DAY DESTINATION: The ministry of tourism in an effort to promote India as a 365-day destination launched three CDs on MICE, adventure sports and cruises. The ministry is showcasing India as a world-class MICE destination with many convention halls coming up in the line of Hyderabad International Conference Centre (HICC). The CDs also give details about all the adventure sports facilities available in the country and the many cruising options that are coming up.

TOURISM MINISTRY ISSUES GUIDELINES FOR ADVENTURE SPORTS: The ministry of tourism recently issued special guidelines for adventure sports activities in the country. The guidelines are regarding land activities like mountaineering and trekking; water sports like river running; and air sports like parasailing, paragliding and bungee jumping. The ministry has laid down the basic minimum standards for adventure tourism related activities that are undertaken in different parts of the country.

KERALA TOURISM TO REVIVE THE URU / ARAB DHOW: Kerala Tourism has plans to start URU cruises to replicate the spice route travel of the 16th century. The uru is a home made colossal sailing vessel made out of timber which used to ply the Indo Persian routes in times gone by. It is the Indian equivalent of the Arab Dhow. When launched they will operate on the Bekal - Cochin sector.

HELICOPTER TOURISM SERVICE IN KERALA: God’s Own Country Kerala will be luring tourists by launching a ”Helicopter tourism” service. Visitors will be taken from one tourist spot to the other in a seven-seater helicopter to save time and also discomfort on the roads. A nu mber of cost-effective packages have been designed in the helicopter tourism segment like ”Capital by Air”, ”Backwaters by Air”, ”Fly the Hills” and ”Shoreline Flights”. The ”Capital by air” offers sightseeing trips around Thiruvananthapuram. The backwater trip takes tourists around Kumarakom, while the ”Fly the hill” provides tourists a taste of the hill stations at Thekkady and Munnar. It will also touch Kochi and Kumarakom. The ”Shoreline” flights offer sightseeing to Kanyakumari along the picturesque coastline.

PALACE ON WHEELS ADDS SEVERAL LUXURIES: The second Palace on wheels to be launched in Rajasthan early next year will have a dance floor, a massage center, a conference room and bars. It will be the third tourist train to be operated by Rajasthan Tourism after Palace on Wheels and Heritage on Wheels (on the Shekhwati sector). The second Palace on wheels will also have special suites.

MEDICAL TOURISM BROCHURE RELEASED: The Ministry of Tourism is aggressively promoting India as a global healthcare destination and has recently released the ‘Incredible India Brochure on Medical Tourism’. The government has also started issuing M (medical) visas to the medical patients, and MX visas to the dependent accompanying them, which are valid for a year. Around 200000 medical tourists visited India last year, and the figure will grow by 50% this year.

GARIB RATHS (PLUSH TRAIN FOR POOR): The Indian Railways has introduced the ”Garib Raths”, a maiden scheme to provide plush rail services to the poor at affordable rates, and plans to link all state capitals with express trains, with the induction of 24-coach trains. The success of the Garib Raths, can already be seen in the rail operating between Saharsa (Bihar) and Amritsar (Punjab) which is a boon to the traveler especially during the festival season.

TRAIN TO KASHMIR HITS THE HIGHWAY: Ever heard of a train running on a road? It does in Jammu and Kashmir. Set to chug in Kashmir’s bewitching landscape in snowy February 2007, the first-ever trial train to Kashmir took off for the Valley on November 7, not on traditional tracks but on the 300 km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway. It has added another chapter to the history of Indian Railways and Kashmir’s national rail project, as the first trial diesel mobile unit coach, a 36 tyre wheeled train pulled by a 460 HP engine, drove up the Jammu-Srinagar Highway at 0700 hrs and headed toward Kashmir’s Budgam railway station by taking a road route and not a train track.
JAIPUR TO SELL HERITAGE LIQUOR: Shops all over Rajasthan will sell heritage liquor, made from age old recipes of Rajasthan Royals. It is made from dry fruits, nuts, herbs and spices with a touch of saffron sometimes. To begin with, shops in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bharatpur will sell the special liquor.
8000 DRUMMERS TO DRUM UP A RECORD IN MEGHALAYA: A band of 8000 drummers is set to break a record for 5 minutes of synchronized drum beats set by Hong Kong. The band will play a newly composed piece, “Positive Vibration” to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. The ensemble will play at Meghalaya’s autumn festival which expects to have entertainers from Australia as well.

GUJARATI EXPATS OWN 42% OF US HOTELS: In the 1970s the Patels moved in to buy motels in the US, so much so, these motels were often referred to as “Potels”. Some three and a half decades later the same Gujarati (mostly Patels) own 21,000 of the 53,000 hotels and motels in the US; a staggering 42% of the US hospitality market with a combined worth of $40 billion.
FAIRY QUEEN BEGINS DELHI-ALWAR-DELHI RUN FROM 11 NOVEMBER: Built in 1855, the Fairy Queen is the oldest steam engine in working condition. Every year it takes visitors on a Delhi-Alwar-Delhi trip. This year the schedule has been announced. It will ply twice a month (beginning 11 November) in November, December 2006 January and February 2007.

Link