TBM Staff - Mumbai According to a report by The Economic Times, Indian travellers are increasingly embracing adventure, from biking tours in Malaysia’s Penang and paragliding in Thailand’s Chiang Mai to treks and safaris within the country. Travel and hospitality companies are witnessing a significant surge, reporting up to a 30% year-on-year increase in demand for adventure trips. This trend includes CEOs and CXOs of India Inc, who are also joining in on the thrill-seeking experiences.
Many travellers are expressing interest in seeking unique experiences in the Himalayas, said Vaibhav Kala, founder and director of Aquaterra Adventure, an adventure tour operator. “Outdoor activities like trekking, hiking, and biking have also seen a significant rise in popularity,” he said. “We had the pleasure of hosting Rajan Amba, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, on a private trip to Dodital Hanuman Chatti with his family,” Kala said. Suresh Narayanan, managing director of Nestle India, and Red Bull CEO Bhaskar Sharma have completed solo treks in Tosamaidan, Kashmir, he said. While Kala’s company specialises in Indian treks, it also organises treks outside of India amid increasing demand.
India’s outdoor enthusiasts are combining their spiritual darshans with experiences such as white-water rafting, zip lining and paragliding at Rishikesh, said Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and visa at Thomas Cook (India). “Rameswaram, which forms a part of our Ramayan trails, is an emerging hub of water sports,” he added. For overseas trips, Thomas Cook, which is seeing an up to 30% uptick in demand for such trips, has designed itineraries ranging from a biking tour in Malaysia’s Penang to the Hoerikwaggo trail in South Africa and alpine trekking in Switzerland. Shahzad Aslam, head of sales at Leisure Hotels Group, said the demand for adventure travel has increased 15-20% this year.
“We have actively pursued partnerships and expanded our range of adventure offerings across all locations,” he said. MakeMyTrip cofounder and group CEO Rajesh Magow said the travel portal has seen a 30% year on year increase in bookings for adventure-specific holiday packages between January and May. Amit Damani, co-founder of StayVista, said the company has seen a rise in bookings for paramotoring in Jaisalmer, river rafting in Rishikesh, treks in Uttarakhand, and Kayaking in Goa.
SOTC Travel has included adventure activities like kayaking, zip trekking, snowmobiling and glacier hiking in its travel packages based on a demand uptick of 25% year on year since the Covid-19 pandemic, said Daniel D’Souza, president and country head for holidays at the travel agency. “We have planned high-octane biking trips across the Himalayas, South Africa, and New Zealand. The machines preferred by this segment include Royal Enfield, Harleys and BMWs,” he said. Many tourists coming to India, too, are seeking adventure trips.
