The Indian government has launched a series of new initiatives to present itself as an up and coming Adventure Tourism destination.
The strategy offers travellers a range of outdoor activities including rock climbing, mountaineering and river rafting. The Ministry of Tourism said recently that due to the large number of foreigners already coming to the country on climbing trips, the government is working with the Indian Mountaineering Federation (IMF) and Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) to further promote the field. In 2010 security clearance was eventually given for foreign travellers to access 104 additional peaks in the Jammu and Kashmir area. These peaks along India's border with China and Pakistan were previously difficult to scale as they required various official clearances. A ministry official added, "To enhance the quality of adventure tourism experience in the country, we have also given in principle approval to the IMF to organise training programmes for adventure and mountain guides" India is soon expected to overtake China as the country with the largest population in the world and boasts an extremely diverse range of landscapes and geographical features.
Many of these would appeal to keen adventure tourists if they were available as a viable destination. Keep an eye out for future developments with this story as the initiatives develop and take shape.