12 SPECIAL FEATURE
12 SPECIAL FEATURE ADVENTURE TOURISM ADVERTORIAL G ADVENTURES STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO ASIAN MARKETS River rafting in Rishikesh Adventure Tourism in India While India is famous for its Taj Mahal and other iconic sites, below are some off the beaten track options you can discover in India. Visit the India stand for more details. BILLING FOR PARAGLIDING Bir is a village located in Joginder Nagar Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Known as the ‘Paragliding Capital of India’, Bir is also popular for ecotourism and meditation while Billing is reserved for paragliding. LADAKH – FOR TREKKING ADVENTURE From Stok Kangri Trek to Sham Valley Trek, Ladakh appeal is unbeatable for trekking adventurers with its unique topographical variations, monasteries circuits and lifealtering experiences. DANDELI – FOR RAPPELLING Located in Karnataka, Dandeli captivates adventure seekers with ancient temples alternating with hills along the River Kali. Beside rappelling, tourists can also try kayaking, fishing, jeep safaris and bird watching. MANALI – FOR MOUNTAIN BIKING Mountain biking is a must-try experience in Manali considered a fabulous destination for the untouched beauty of the Himalayas. MEGHALAYA – FOR CAVING Lumshnong Village is home to the Umlawan Cave, which is the longest and the deepest in the sub-continent. It is interconnected with two other caves with its length reaching more than 21 km. AULI – FOR SKIING Auli is a must visit for adventure and snow sport lovers. With its clean and tidy surrounding, glittering white slopes, and quaint backdrop, the destination is popular for skiing and snowboarding in India. RISHIKESH – FOR RIVER RAFTING Rafting in Rishikesh gives visitors an adrenaline rush but safety is fully ensured thanks to high quality equipment, and expert guides. JAIPUR – FOR HOT AIR BALLOONING Flying in hot air balloons over some of the most beautiful and breathtaking palaces, buildings and forts of “Pink City Jaipur” is an incredible experience. LAKSHADWEEP – FOR SCUBA DIVING The 36 Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea are a magnet for divers for their underwaters with pristine lagoons and unspoiled coral reefs. HAVELOCK ISLAND, ANDAMAN – FOR SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELING The beach here offers calm blue crystal clear shallow waters and is an amazing spot for snorkelers, particularly the Barefoot Scuba Resort which is a must for scuba lovers STAND Q26 - BASEMENT 2 G Adventures at ITB Asia 2019 Founded in 1990 by social entrepreneur Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures is a small group adventure travel operator offering more than 750 tours in 100 countries and is riding from success to success. G Adventures’ award-winning trips support local communities, giving travellers meaningful experiences with people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife, while offering them the freedom and flexibility to explore on their own. G Adventures’ responsible approach to travel is demonstrated through its ‘G for Good’ social impact initiatives, which include travel guidelines for children, wildlife and Indigenous people. As Asian travellers are increasingly getting involved in sustainable travel, G Adventures is marking its commitment to the market by expanding its Outside Sales Team. Bryce Young, Director of Emerging Markets for G Adventures, will now head up a team of six Global Purpose Specialists (GPS) throughout Asia, having recently appointed a second GPS in China. The move comes as G Adventures is confident of the potential and the dynamic of Asian markets, “We consider adventure travel to be less about zip-lining and bungee jumping - although those are available on some of our itineraries! - and more about cultural immersion that connects you with likeminded travellers,” adds Bryce Young. “Our style of travel is culturally authentic, sustainable, and caters for travellers looking for experiences based on their interests, as opposed to just by destination. Increasingly, we are finding that these are traits Asian travellers are looking for when choosing a holiday provider.” “Importantly, a G Adventures tour provides the structure and security for those of whom English is a second language, with the freedom and flexibility to still make the adventure their own,” he further explains Within Asia, the company has identified the key emerging markets to be Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, with GPS serving each of these regions. In time, they hope to expand into other markets, such as the Philippines or Indonesia STAND F38 - BASEMENT 2 ITB ASIA NEWS • Friday 18 October 2019 www.itb-asia-news.com
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA REGION 13 African tourist arrivals experienced a 7% increase UAE LEADING IN THE MIDDLE EAST With 67 million International tourist arrivals in 2018, Africa experienced a 7% increase compared to 2017. The growth was driven by good results for Tunisia, Morocco and Kenya. While Africa only represents 5% of market share in terms of arrivals, it is one of the continents with the strongest growth dynamics. Last year, the total number of arrivals jumped by 7% to 67 million. On the other hand, revenues grew at a more moderate pace, at +1% or nearly €35bn. North Africa recorded the best growth rate with arrivals up 10%. The three major destinations in Northern Africa registered very positive results. Tunisia was leading with total arrivals up by 17.7% and passed again the 8-million tourists’ mark. Morocco welcomed 8.3% more tourists last year, becoming the busiest destination in Northern Africa with over 12.3 million travellers. And Algeria performed pretty well with arrivals growing up by 8.4% to reach 2.6 million tourists Growth in sub-Saharan Africa reached 6% with the best performing country being… Uganda. Tourist arrivals to that country jumped by 32% to reach 1.85 million. South Africa enjoyed a moderate growth of 1.8% but remains the only Sub-Saharan country to welcome over 10 million tourists per year. With a growth of 9.2% last year, Cote d’Ivoire is close to reaching the two-million international tourists’ mark, a number that it will probably pass in 2019. Cote d’Ivoire receive already more international visitors than more established destinations such as Kenya (1.47 million tourist arrivals, up 6.1% over 2017) or Mauritius (1.4 million, up 4.3%). Good performance was also recorded for Zimbabwe which last year received 2.57 million travellers, up by 5.9% International arrivals to the Middle East reached 60 million in 2018, an increase of 4% over the previous year, while revenues increased by 3% to 66.7 billion euros. Best performers in the region, Egypt saw its arrivals jumping by 36.8% reaching over 11.3 million tourists. The UAE and Saudi Arabia stood side by side last year. Both countries received the highest number of visitors, at respectively 15.9 and 15.3 million. But both countries also recorded mediocre growth results in 2018, with arrivals progressing only by 0.8% for the UAE while declining by over 5% for Saudi Arabia. For Qatar, blocus of the country by its neighbours translated into a decline of 19.4% of its tourist arrivals last year. Qatar did manage to compensate for the losses of its nearby markets in the third quarter thanks to an increase in the number of visitors from Russia, China and India. Oman was probably dragged down by the mediocre performance of neighbouring UAE. Total tourist arrivals sunk by 0.6%. The best performer in the Middle East was Iran. Tourist arrivals last year grew by almost 50% to 7.3 million international tourists. However, 2019 will be more challenging as economic sanctions are increasingly isolating the country. In the Levant, Jordan also had an excellent year, with an 8% increase in the number of arrivals, while Lebanon experienced a growth of 5.8% coming close to the twomillion tourists’ mark ITB ASIA NEWS • Friday 18 October 2019
