Adventure Tourism As A Career

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“Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure.” – Irving Wallace

Have you ever taken any adventure sports? Did you think that you could have been doing that for the whole of your life?

Advancements in the tourism industry have brought us opportunities that we could have never thought of considering as full-time job. Adventure tourism is one such career that has developed in the past 5 years and has converted to a full-time job that includes lots of technicalities as well as knowledge. Let’s dig deeper to understand what all is required to excel in this adventurous career.

what is adventure tourism?

Adventure tourism is considered to be a leisure activity that is mostly undertaken in exotic and remote regions and mostly comprises some kind of physical activity. It includes wildlife tourism, trekking, paragliding, zorbing, biking, scuba diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, cliff jumping, parasailing, archaeological expedition, attending local festivals, birdwatching, backpacking etc. One can opt for jobs named as an Adventure tour operator, Safari guide, Adventure sports photographer, Adventure Sports Trainer, Tour guide, travel Consultant and similar.

What will be my day like on the job?

You will be handling different tasks parallelly. The job of adventure tourism requires courage, passion and a fearless personality but along with that, it also requires good management and handling clients daily. Major daily tasks will include the following:

Researching and planning treks/ adventure trips
Understanding safety measures that are required for any trip and ensuring their working ability
Regularly analysing the new sites for adventure planning
Managing clients (travellers), answering their questions related to the site, helping them to do the adventure activity
In some entrepreneurial jobs, you might be handling sales and marketing.

Skills Required

Soft skills – You can see if you fall in the shaded area segment of soft skills

Job-specific Skills

Safety– Knows how to perform CPR and provide emergency medical aid. A medical certificate is a plus
Knowledge– Knows the culture of the site being visited, history of the place, the significance of the place.
Flora and fauna– In some adventure activities. It is important that the guide knows what flora and fauna exist and if it is a danger to the travellers
Fitness– An adventure guide should be physically fit and be able to handle adverse situations
Training– Knows basic life essential skills- swimming, climbing, running fast etc.

I am still interested, but who will hire me?

Hotel Industry – Tour Advisors, Adventure Tour planners
Tourism Industry- Sales Representative, Tour Executive, Business Development, Travel Consultant
Holiday Resort– tour Advisor, Tour Planner, Adventure Tour Manager
Athletic Clubs– Tour Organiser
Adventure Sports Industry– Entrepreneur, Travel consultant, Adventure Tour Guide, Adventure Sport Trainer

If not an entrepreneur, can you give me some examples of real companies in India?

Adventure Nation- www.adventurenation.com.
Countryside- www.countrysideindia.com.
Flying fox- www.flyingfox.asia
Help Tourism- www.helptourism.com
Inme- www.inme.in.
Mercury Himalayan Explorations- www.mheadventures.com
Orca Dive Club- www.orcadiveclub.in.
Snow Leopard Adventures- www.snowleopardadventures.com.
Thrillophillia- www.thrillophilia.com
White Magic Adventure Travel- www.whitemagicadventure.com

Will it still be in demand after I graduate?

“In the past five or six years, the industry has doubled in size, thanks to the ceaseless initiatives and promotion of adventure tourism. According to Tejbir Singh Anand, managing director, Holiday Moods Adventures, the most important shift has been the willingness of Indians to look beyond the usual holidays for new experiences. This, in turn, has been backed by the up-gradation of tourist infrastructure at popular places such as Rishikesh, Ladakh and Uttarakhand. “As people have become more comfortable with the idea of adventure travel, newer options have opened up.” – MediaIndia.eu

Based on the data collected during the study, the adventure tourism and activity travel market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.4% from 2017 to 2023 in India.- thrillophillia

How can I enter the field?

Drivers Licence. The operator should have held a full motorcycle licence for a minimum of 5 years, and have adequate experience of riding in all types of terrains in India – Himalayas, Coastal, Deserts, National parks etc
Should preferably have completed a basic safety course from a recognised Institute.
Should have valid first aid and CPR certification
Have adequate computer skills and the ability to handle/ operate a GPS.
Map reading skills
Possess adequate know-how of traffic rules and general rules and regulations of the area of operations.
Academic Qualifications are of less value, but the person should be able to communicate properly.

Your Dream Job Is Impossible Right Skill Away

Can I do graduation in the field?

Yes, and the following are the Indian Universities:

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling,
Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi,
Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering, Batote, J&K,
Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali,
Regional Mountaineering Centre, McLeodganj,
Winter Sports Skiing Centre, Kulu,
High Altitude Trekking & Skiing Centre, Narkanda,
Mountaineering Sub-Centres, Bharmour and Jispa,
Water Sports Centre, Bilaspur,
Regional Water Sports Centre, Pong Dam,
Adventure Sports Centre, Hatkoti,
Balloon Club of India, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi,
Tenzing Norgay Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Jawahar Parbat, Darjeeling and
The National Institute of Water Sports in Panjim, Goa.
Himalayan Adventure Institute, Mussorie.
India Outdoors, H20, National Education Foundation (NEF), Pune
The Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering
Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and co-Tourism (IHCAE)

How much salary can I expect?

In the beginning, you can expect anything between INR 7,000-INR 12,000 per month. As your skills grow, you may earn up to INR 1 Lakh per month or more.