Indian State Maharashtra has approved its Adventure Tourism Policy for the state which will cover broadly 25 different adventure activities conducted on land, air and water. The popular adventure tourism activities which will be covered under the policy include trekking, paragliding, water rappelling, river rafting, biking, rock climbing, scuba diving. The approval was given at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The policy finalised after consultations with the stakeholding trade bodies in the adventure tourism segment prescribes a broad framework for the registration, regulation, monitoring, planning, as well as promotion and marketing of adventure tourism activities for adventure event organisers and adventure training organizations.
As per the policy, the organizers of adventure tourism in the state will be given a temporary registration certificate from the Directorate of Tourism (DoT) and a final registration certificate after obtaining all the required equipment details and qualifications. Under this policy, the organisers of adventure activities will gain several benefits like a refund of SGST, discount on stamp duty, discount in power charges.
Commenting on the new policy, Aaditya Thackeray, Minister of Tourism, Maharashtra said that safety has been given paramount importance in the policy. “Safety being the priority, adventure tourism organizers will need to be vigilant as per the provisions mentioned in the policy regarding the safety of tourists. Norms for trained and experienced trainers, quality, and standardized equipment will be laid down. State-level committees and divisional level committees will be constituted for the effective implementation of adventure tourism policy. These committees will consist of experts in land, air and water tourism.”
According to Maharashtra Tourism, suggestions from organisations like Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Indian Mountaineering Institute, and Association of Paragliding Pilots & Instructors (APPI) and other experts in the area have been taken before finalising the policy.
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