SEATTLE — Collaborating to responsibly promote and sustainably grow the adventure travel market is the catalyst behind a newly reached agreement between the global Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI).
Signed recently by the president of each association, Mr. Tejbir Singh Anand of the ATOAI and Mr. Shannon Stowell of the ATTA, the agreement is latest in the ATTA’s expanding Association Partnership (AP) initiative, a partner program first conceived of in 2007 and now 25 organizations strong.
“Only the ATOAI can bring to the global stage awareness, expertise and insights concerning the adventure tourism impact and potential of India,” said Stowell. “Its commitment to professionalism, environmental practices and social responsibility reflects our hopes, expectations and aspirations for the future of adventure travel.” The new partnership between ATOAI and the ATTA brings together organizations throughout India into the worldwide network of AP members sharing common interest in unifying, networking, promoting, professionalizing and responsibly growing the adventure travel market.
“Adventure travel is one of the few niche segments of the market not severely hit by the recent world economic situation,” according to Mr. Tejbir Singh Anand, President ATOAI. “Joining hands with Adventure Travel Trade Association will surely give a huge advantage to the ATOAI members and will strengthen the networking drives and learning initiatives worldwide.”
Productive peer-to-peer networking and community collaboration continue to serve as the driving force behind increased participation in the AP program. Representing thousands of individual organizations (e.g., tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, guides, accommodation, media and service providers), the AP program helps tourism professionals on six continents to improve cooperation within the specialized adventure sector of the travel and leisure industry. The AP also improves intelligence gathering and sharing on critical matters such as sustainable tourism, best practices, trends and research, marketing, risk management and matters essential to raising the quality and professionalism of the industry.
As a part of the agreement, the ATTA and ATOAI will jointly market and publicize the partnership to the international travel trade. ATOAI members also will now receive a 40% discount to join the ATTA, which makes them eligible to receive a US$100 discount to attend the ATTA’s Adventure Travel World Summit, which is set for October 4-7, 2010, in Aviemore, Scotland (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com).
With the addition of ATOAI, these alliances will help expand marketing networks between North America and European organizations with those in India. Active Association Partnership program members, including the newly added associations, currently include:
Africa
- Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA)
- African Travel and Tourism Association (aka, Advancing Tourism to Africa)
- Bhutan – Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators
- India – Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI)
- Japan – Japan Ecolodge Association
- Nepal – Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)
- Thailand – Thai Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association (TEATA)
- Scotland – Wild Scotland (WS)
- Sweden – The Swedish Ecotourism Society/Nature’s Best
- Jordan – Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA)
- Canada:
- Aventure Ecotourisme Quebec (AEQ)
- Paddling Ontario Alliance (POA)
- Wilderness Tourism Association of the Yukon (WTAY)
- Mexico – Asociación Mexicana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo (AMTAVE), Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism
- United States - The Dude Ranchers' Association
- Argentina – Asociación Argentina de Ecoturismo y Turismo Aventura (AAETAV)
- Brazil – Associação Brasileira das Empresas de Turismo de Aventura (ABETA), Brazilian Adventure Travel Trade Association
- Chile – Corporación de Promoción Turistica (CPT), Tourism Promotion Corporation of Chile
- Dominican Republic – Organización Dominicana de Turismo Sostenible (ODTS)
- Ecuador – Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association (ASEC)
- Guyana – Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG)
- Peru – La Asociación Peruana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo (APTAE), Peruvian Association of Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism
- Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago Incoming Tour Operators Association (TTITOA)
- New Zealand – Tourism Industry Association New Zealand
- Australia Tourism Export Council (ATEC)/Backpacker Tourism Advisory Panel (BTAP)
Founded in 1994, the ATOIA (http://www.atoai.org/) is a national body comprising more than 150 members from across the country actively promoting adventure and ecotourism in India. ATOAI was founded with an aim to create awareness about the immense potential for adventure tourism in India and to harness this potential in a safe, sensitive and environmentally friendly manner. ATOAI members are recognized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
About the Adventure Travel Trade Association
Established in 1990, the Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization representing nearly 600 member entities dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive trade conferences, the ATTA also makes possible www.Adventure.Travel, the traveler’s hub of physical, cultural and nature-based adventure travel and guide to trusted tour operators from around the globe.