DECLARING 2011 AS ADVENTURE TOURISM YEAR WILL NO DOUBT REVIVE THE THEME OF ADVENTURE TOURISM, BUT WE NEED TO CELEBRATE IT NOT JUST IN LETTER, BUT IN SPIRIT TOO, WRITES MUHAMMAD YUSUF
Declaration of 2011 as the ‘Year of Adventure Tourism’ by the Tourism Ministry of Jammu and Kashmir state was a step in right direction towards revival and development of adventure and recreation tourism in the state but half of the year has already passed and non of the celebration events have been organised.
It was expected that the Ministry will arrange seminars, sympsiums, meets, adventure training camps, adventure expos and festivals, distribute informative brochures, fix hoardings at focal points within and outside the state, organise trekking programmes for local youth and conduct international rafting championship at Sonamarg etc. during this festive year.
Astonishingly this very important sector of our tourism industry received big setback in Jammu and Kashmir particularly in Kashmir and Kishtwar Himalayas during last two decades because all the mountain sports activities came stand still and remained restricted here during this period. The inflow of adventurers considerably fell which badly dent upon our economy.
Adventure Tourism was in fact operative in J&K since time immemorial. The scores of foreign and national mountaineering and trekking expeditions were regularly attempting our virgin and challenging peaks much before independence. Not many know that Lord John Hunt first climbed Mount. Kolahoi in Kashmir and later he led the first successful Everest expedition in 1952. Kolahoi was his favorite peak and was recommending Europeans to Kashmir Himalayas for seeking high adventures here. Our state has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the development of snow and water skiing in India during British Raj. Similarly, the J&K Ski and Mountaineering Association has done a commendable pioneering work in introducing Paragliding and Ski-mountaineering in early eighties. Col N. Kumar, a famous climber, led first-ever white water rafting expedition on the treacherous waters of river Indus in Ladakh in mid-seventies. Surprisingly our neighboring Himalayan states could find opportunity to hijack all these out door pursuits due to our negligence. They gladly adopted adventure tourism and is now flourishing it there. The reason for decline of adventure tourism in Kashmir is perhaps due to the prolonged turmoil, the wrong policies adopted by our tourism ministry and the callous attitude of Union Tourism Ministry.
The concept of tourism has altogether changed in the modern times. People earlier used to wander from one place to another with the intention either to undertake pilgrimage or explore different cultures and places but today Adventure Tourism has become increasingly popular amongst the youth all over the world. The youth today has the desire to explore new and virgin areas, know more about unknown places, and reach to the highest and lowest points of the blue planet. They dare to face all odds and challenges of life boldly. They venture out in deep sea, fly high in the air, run down the treacherous running rivers, climb difficult and virgin peaks, ski down impossible snow terrains, undertake bungee jumps into deep gorges and undertake many other extreme adventures. They are now gladly accepting all challenges of the nature, because a trip to mountains has a soothing effect on soul. There may be number of reasons as to why people today take to Mountain Sports but I think the most appropriate is that they are “fully alive on the high altitudes or in the depths of the sea”.
The mountain Sports were previously simply considered adventure outdoor pursuits but the influence of competition has made adventure more popular. This is another reason as why youth take up to adventure. The mountaineers are attempting more and more high peaks through more difficult and challenging routes in shortest possible time and set records. Similarly someone is trying to run down the high graded treacherous rivers and someone is trying to fly in the air for longer periods. Competitions are also held in many adventure sports at state, national and international levels. Adventure Tourism has in fact today gained world-wide recognition as an activity.
At this juncture our Tourism Ministry and other tourism players have a vital role to play. They have to be more responsive and more dedicative. Merely dedicating the year 2011 as the "Year of Adventure Tourism" is not enough. It will not help state unless the long term policies for development of adventure are formulated and the stakeholders are taken into confidence by the Government. There is need of encouraging the private sector and giving them incentives instead of charging them huge royalty by Tourism Development Authorities for operating adventure activities in their domian. There is also need of setting up the J&K Adventure Tour Operators Association which would act as mediator between the Government and adventure tour operators. There is also need of monitoring the working of all the Government tourism agencies like Tourism Departments, JKTDC and Tourism Development Authorities and other tourism players. Those who fail to deliver should be put to task. There is also need of creating and patronizing new adventure related products which we could offer to the intended tourists.
There is need of reviewing the functioning of the Tourism Development Authorities. The working of some Development Authorities is observed not satisfactory for some time. Since adventure is a risk taking segment of tourism so most of these authorities are discouraging them. Some Development Authorities have turned into commercial institutions. Instead of encouraging adventure tourism in their areas they put the adventure related tourism activities to tender and charge huge royalty to adventure tour operators, which is not healthy step. We have high scope of promoting adventure related activities at several places like Sonamarg, Gurez, and Drass etc but these ramained out of focus of the Government.
Sonamarg was considered the play field of adventure sports. It has the potential of holding all kinds of adventures like rafting, kayaking, climbing, trekking, ski-touring, camping, grass skiing, orienteering, scree running, paragliding and riding etc. It has the potential of becoming the world class Adventure Park. There is possibility of holding Adventure Expos here but the resort always remained out of focus of the authorities, though the present Chief Minister shows deep concern for development of adventure. Felling of gree jungle and construction of concrete jungle is at its peak at Sonamarg. A person who has some adventure background should be deputed here as Chief Executive Officer.
Some years back the Kashmir University and Tourism Department were organizing rock-climbing courses for the youth at Kud in Patnitop area. The granite rocks were ideal for teaching climbing to the novices there. But alas! the Patnitop Development Authority could not protect these rocks. The greedy people broke them into pieces for construction purposes. While training youth to adventure or providing pleasure rides to tourists one must ensure professional competence, adequate safety and proper infrastructure. There is need of encouraging these healthy outdoor pursuits among our youth through Schools, Colleges, Universities, voluntary Clubs, Associations and NGOs. Not only imparting training in adventure but the participants must be aware about preservation of flora and fauna and of the state.
The organizing agencies must have the acquaintance with First-aid, rescue work, high altitude sickness, navigation, survival in the mountains Only those tour operators should be permitted to operate adventure who possess ample knowledge and have proper equipment. The borrowed equipment should not be allowed which could sometimes prove very fatal.
Merely dedicating the year 2011 to adventure tourism can no way help state promote adventure and recreation tourism unless necessary steps are not taken in the right direction. There is need to develop trained manpower who could work as guides and instructors, develop modern infrastructure, explore new and virgin areas, clean mass on rocks at hill resorts, aware people about the incentives, provided by the Government from time to time, develop base camps and construct shelter huts in Lidder and sindh valleys etc.
(The author is Adventure Tour Consultant at Adventure Call Tours and Travels and bloger. He can be followed at http//vilsion-kashmir.blogspot.com or mailed at myusuf05@hotmail.com or called at 9419707307)
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