Adventure sports, risk, and human-more than human wellbeing: local responses to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

The impact of, and responses to COVID-19 has dominated discussion in every area of life, and fields of academic activity. In this paper I consider some of the impacts and considerations in relation to activities that have been conceptualised as adventure sports. My intention is not to show how adventure is being done differently, rather to use the exceptional circumstances of lockdown to highlighted the multifaceted, meaningful and affective ‘everyday’ experiences of those who engage in adventure sport as part of their everyday practices. My focus is empirical research conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand during lockdowns (2020-21) focusing on coastal communities and surfing specifically. This ‘journey through lockdown’ illustrates the ways in which coastal spaces are experienced as therapeutic landscapes that can foster physical and emotional health and wellbeing from those on the shore, to full-immersion activities such as surfing, influencing people’s sense of wellbeing, collective identities, and forms of belonging. However, in the same ways that COVID has exacerbated many health inequities, it is important to be attentive to the ways in which the wellbeing benefits of coastal spaces are not available and extended to all. A range of cultural, economic, socio-demographic, and political factors contribute to a dis-connect with, or exclusion from various bluespaces. Diverse subjects and bodies access and experience bluespaces in different and unequal ways, impacting who can use blue spaces, and how it can be used. Lastly, the lockdown situation was also informing in understanding the often-romanticised nature of adventure sport participants relationship with the natural world, and more widely how this translates, or not, to broader responses to our climate emergency.

Factors Involved in the Success of Bir-Billing (H.P.) as One of the Top-Rated Paragliding Site in the World and Learning's for Uttarakhand

Adventure sports such as River Rafting, Zip-Line, Paragliding and Skiing become popular in India in last few years, there are many factors which helped this trend to increase and millennials are driving this entire sector. Adventure Sports provide an unexplainable thrill and kills the stress with recreation and unforgettable life time experiences. Paragliding is one of the most popular adventure sports in India and there are more than 25 sites and still growing. Due to the increased popularity, all states are exploring the opportunities to develop sites wherever its feasible. When we talk about Paragliding in India, the first site which comes to the mind is Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh. These twin town are not only famous in India but in the entire world and also hosted the world cup in 2015. Now Bir-Billing emerges as the role model for other sites. There is yet another state – Uttarakhand, which has approximately 5 operational sites for paragliding however, could not become popular like Bir- Billing despite having all the necessary elevation and large landing fields. This study is based on the exploratory research and intended to draw conclusions based on expert’s opinion, on site observations and other secondary source of data and aimed in finding out the factors which played a key role in the success of Bir-Billing and how Uttarakhand can learn from it to develop Paragliding in the state. The findings can provide a substantial base for the further development and scope of improvement to attract more tourists.

The Global Concept of Sports Tourism with Emphasis on Indian Perspective

The attempt to define the concept of „sports tourism‟ requires reference to the meaning of the basic terms, „tourism‟ and „sports‟. Sports tourism is an emerging field of economic growth of a nation. Sports tourism depends upon the geographical location and also related to the sociocultural heritage of a nation. There are indeed several destinations in India offering sports tourism. There are varied sports activity that one can indulge during vacation. Distinguished adventure sports: mountaineering, rock-climbing, scuba diving, water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, surfing, water scooting. The present article critically discussed the various aspects and scope of global sports tourism as well as sports tourism of India and the future scope of sports tourism in India

Adventure Tourism in the Spanish Population: Sociodemographic Analysis to Improve Sustainability

In recent decades, tourism is an activity in continuous growth and generates a significant impact in the social, economic, and environmental fields. Adventure tourism mainly takes place in natural settings, where tourist immersion will generate, in addition to profits, an impact on nature and the conservation of natural areas. The purpose of this work is to analyze the sociodemographic characteristics of tourists who choose to carry out adventure activities, as well as the means of transport used. For this, we have carried out this study through analysis of the 2019 data file of tourists from the National Statistics Institute with a sample of adventure tourists of 380 people. The results of the analysis show that the type of tourist who does adventure sports is single people with a higher educational level and a stable professional situation. The most frequently used means of transport to a destination is private transport, and lodging accounts for the majority of accommodation. It should be noted that significant gender differences were found in the level of studies, professional status in the job performed, and type of accommodation. Finally, the profile of the adventure tourist will be very useful for planning sustainable tourism.