Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sep 6 (PTI) India’s natural heritage ranks 10th globally as per the World Economic Forum, so there is a need to capitalise on it and also create new travel destinations that focus on nature and adventure, Padma Shri awardee Ajeet Bajaj has said.
Bajaj, who received the Padma Shri award in 2012 for his achievements in adventure sports, also stressed the need to create “sustainable and well-managed tourism” to protect nature.
“Cultural heritage and spiritual tourism have been the strength of tourism in India. As per the World Economic Forum, India’s natural heritage ranks among the 10 best across the globe. This includes the Himalayas, deserts, islands…we have every type of terrain in our country. So we must leverage the advantage and create new destinations focusing on nature and adventure,” he told PTI.
We are a country of youth and they need adventure and nature connect. While promoting other facets, we also look towards adventure tourism, he said.
“Seventy-three per cent Himalayan range lies in India and it has more than 7,000 km of coastline, islands and many more things. We just want to make it sustainable and not flood these places (with tourists) as nature needs well managed, planned tourism,” Bajaj said.
“We are growing and domestic tourism in the country is going to boom. We need to educate the tourists while they travel with nature. If the tourists are sensitized they will do the right things,” he added.
Talking about the new trends in adventure tourism in the country, Bajaj said, “We are looking at two new things. One is mega trails. The Union tourism ministry is looking at creating two mega walking trails – Jammu to Uttarakhand via Ladakh, Gaumukh to Gangasagar in the Bay of Bengal.” Such trails are there in foreign countries where tourists can walk long distances and make home stay en route or they can make their own arrangements for stay, he said.
“We want to construct some infrastructure, but there is a need to use the existing one more,” he said.
Many such trails can be planned across the country, including the North East, west coast, east coast. They will be a game changer for the region, he added.
There is also a plan to promote border tourism to boost the last village economy, he said.
“We are looking at promoting border tourism with the ministry of tourism and Army as these areas are very backward and with very little economic activity there. The idea is to integrate these areas into the mainstream through adventure tourism,” he said.
When asked how much work has been done on this front, Bajaj said, “We are looking at seven pilot projects in Arunachal Pradesh, (India-Nepal-China) trijunction area, Ladakh and other parts which are some of the most beautiful in the country. We wish to take motorcyclists there and let them feel the beauty of these regions,” he said. PTI AW NP
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