Absence of govt policy hampers adventure sports

MANGALURU: The coastal district is fertile ground for adventure sports like scuba diving, parasailing, parajumping and others. But the activities are hindered by the absence of a comprehensive policy by the state government. Sources in the tourism industry said the lack of a policy in the arena of adventure sports is a challenge that limits permissions for adventure sports. "Unless the state government comes up with one which de-risks individual officers who give permission, we will continue to have problems. Coastal tourism, which thrives on these activities, will suffer. With a policy in place, getting permissions will be a lot easier. When everything is grey and undefined, an individual officer will not stick his neck out,'' a source said referring to the Salem incident where a 26-year-old woman skydiver plunged to death from 10,000 feet after her parachute malfunctioned. Yatish Baikampady, CEO, Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project, echoes the same views. "In this part of the state there is scepticism whether tourism can be considered an industry. It is not seen as a factor that will change the economic status of locals and the region. If this is set right, everything will fall in place,'' he said. Yatish also notes that diving sites must be identified and regulated. "So far the exercise has not been done. We have to scout and assess the viability of a spot. To be economically viable, a spot has to be within six nautical miles of the coast,'' he said. Businessman Satish Kamath, who is into adventure sports and has done scuba diving at Havelock in Andamans and Bali, says, "We don't have a spot that comes close to Havelock. If any, it will be miles off the coast, which takes a lot of travel time for the tourist." Tourism minister RV Deshpande said the department is closely working with the Goa tourism department to promote scuba diving. "We've also issued regulations governing this activity,'' he told TOI over phone. -TOI