With the ease in restrictions, travel is making a huge comeback just like most of us in the industry predicted it would. However, we can’t help but notice that there’s a profound transformation in what attracts travelers post the pandemic. In the wake of the pandemic, travel trends have changed. On one hand, domestic and sustainable travel have picked up pace like never before. Hygiene is the new huge concern for travelers and there’s the workation trend making its rounds everywhere. To add to the mix, there’s also been an intense demand for adventure activities among tourists. Post-pandemic adventure activities could possibly shape the future of travel too.
Travelers Are Saying Yes To More Adventure Activities
There is a rampant interest in adventure activities post the pandemic as people increasingly crave offbeat experiences. Seemingly, this is why destinations in the Himalayas offering the opportunity to participate in outdoor adventure are gaining solid traction. Himachal Pradesh and its neighboring mountain-state Uttarakhand have also been witnessing a rapid increase in tourists. In July 2021 itself, Himachal Pradesh recorded a footfall of 18,500 tourists daily! Both states are excellent destinations for adventure activities like river rafting, trekking, camping, bungee jumping and more. Do you see the connection too?
Travelers are on the hunt for authentic and engaging travel experiences like skiing in Auli, paragliding in Bir, river rafting in Rishikesh and more. At goSTOPS, our hostels set in offbeat destinations like Palampur and Naggar have witnessed a rise in occupancy rates too. Prior to the pandemic, not many tourists bothered to see beyond cookie-cutter travel packages. But that’s not the case anymore. Adventure activities is the new aspect that travelers are looking for in their holiday.
Looking Beyond The Usual Holiday
Adventure travel in the picture has opened doors for tourists to have a more fulfilling and ‘active’ holiday. It’s not about just seeing the landscape from afar on vacation but immersing and engaging with it. River rrafting, skiing, mountain biking, boating, paragliding, cliff jumping and so on provide these opportunities. It gives us an insight that holidays are no longer just about passively staying in one place. To be fair, it’s probably because of the scenario of people staying indoors for so long.
A peak of interest in adventure activities also shows that travelers are willing to try something new even if it’s scuba diving. It doesn’t seem odd anymore for thousands of city dwellers to show an interest in immersing themselves underwater for a unique travel experience. The rising trend of adventure travel is an eye-opener that people are also up for the challenge that comes along with adventure. Rather than do something traditional, people are willing to take a shot at trying something unusual – like a motorbike expedition to ride to the Himalayas!
In all honesty, this shift in mindset of travelers is great news for the industry. If people themselves are becoming more comfortable with trying new experiences, ways to meet their demands will be met. India is also blessed with a topography that can open up avenues for a wide range of licensed adventure activities. The scope in India is big enough for the adventure tourism industry to double in size.
Post-Pandemic Adventure Activities In India
India has some beautiful mountain ranges due to which mountaineering is a popular adventure activity that people are now up for. Treks in Ladakh and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are particularly popular. Going on a rafting expedition in Rishikesh opened up on September 28th, 2021 and operators are in hopes of sessions getting sold out. Bir-Billing is also doing very well as the top paragliding destination in India.
The state of Rajasthan is also taking steps to give adventure activities the spotlight. Desert safaris, ziplining, and paragliding activities are being promoted to those traveling to Rajasthan. Tourists can also go on a helicopter joy ride in Udaipur to see scenic views of the lake or even all the way to Nathdwara, Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh.
Adrenaline-rush activities like riding ATVs on the deserts of Bikaner and Jaisalmer are now offered. The under-the-radar Rajsamand Lake in Rajasthan is also trying to be made a popular destination for paragliding and water sports. Ever heard of water ziplining? It’s a great adventure activity where you just glide over the lake water as you zipline over it. And yes you can try this in India at Kagdi Pick Up Weir in Banswara.
Adventure Activities Has The Potential To Revive Tourism
To revive tourism, many other tourist destinations are also giving more attention to adventure tourism. Jammu and Kashmir is promoting its river stretches for white river rafting. Another great example is how the Tadoba Wildlife sanctuary in Maharashtra has initiated 12 different experiential expeditions to attract tourists.
Snorkeling and scuba diving in Maldives or taking skiing lessons in Gulmarg, Kashmir are other adventure activities that Indians have started exploring. To an extent, credit does go to social media influencers who constantly open a traveler’s eyes to new, upbeat and offbeat travel adventures to try. But there has to be more done to build an image of the safety of adventure tourism to sell the experience.
It’s Time To Be Part Of This Growth
India is a goldmine for adventure tourism. And it is truly great news that travelers in India are growing out of traveling the usual way and are open to engaging in adventure activities. To support this new style of traveling and boost it from its nascent stage, we’ve ventured into offering experiences for our travelers at goSTOPS. We ask travelers to join our organized treks so as to make their travel more memorable and experiential in nature.
To encourage the impressive growth of adventure travel, the travel industry must encourage travelers to try offbeat activities. What you should also remember is that Indian travelers have now started giving domestic destinations more importance. This is a cue that it could be time to promote hidden gems like Palampur, Naggar, Kasar Devi, Bir and Mukteshwar. All these leisure destinations are remote and not to be found on a conventional tourist map. At goSTOPS, we’ve selectively picked unique destinations for our hostels so that we’re not overlooking the potential of offbeat regions.
Conclusion
With more people traveling once again, we’re more than curious as to what other ventures travelers will head towards in the upcoming months. Post-pandemic adventure activities is surely just one of the traveling trends that’s on the horizon. Overall, travel is leaning towards many other directions and we’re all ready to gain more insights and have conversations around it.
