(1888PressRelease)
June 03, 2008 - Lima, Peru– Xola Consulting, Inc. has signed an agreement with PromPeru, Peru’s tourist promotion agency, to develop a strategy for developing and promoting Peru’s most valuable adventure tourism assets to international tourism professionals and travelers. Xola’s work in Peru will be featured in the first annual release of the Adventure Tourism Development IndexTM report.
Prom Peru, responsible for marketing Peru’s tourism assets, sought support for the marketing and development of emerging adventure tourism assets. With tourism in Peru up 17% from 2007, policymakers saw the opportunity to draw more visitors to the country, but were concerned about preserving important cultural and natural resources.
They selected Xola as its partner in this important initiative because of its specialization in adventure tourism, the linkages to industry that its approach offers, and its overriding emphasis on sustainable tourism development for the benefit of communities and the environment.
Working in collaboration with Prom Peru and local communities, the Xola project team is in the process of completing an ATDI “Feature Adventure Destination” analysis. Using the Adventure Tourism Development IndexTM approach, Xola will identify and evaluate potential adventure tourism sites within Peru and make marketing strategy recommendations to support their success.
The Adventure Tourism Development IndexTM (ATDI) sets a new standard for sustainable adventure tourism development and is a joint initiative of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, The George Washington University, and Xola Consulting, Inc. (For details on the ATDI see www.gwutourism.org/iits/ATDI.htm or www.xolaconsulting.com/atdi.php). The ATDI is designed to encourage and shape tourism development policies for the benefit of local people and the environment by providing a structured method that can be readily applied in emerging markets.
The resulting study will support Peru in defining specific adventure tourism zones or “hotspots”, and linking those hotspots to adventure tourism markets.
Highlights of the research showcasing Peru’s unique assets will be revealed to more than 450 international adventure tour operators and adventure and mainstream travel media in the full ATDI report, slated for public release in September 2008. The report will also feature Xola’s work in Assam, India that is expected to generate interest in Assam not only as an adventure tourism destination, but also as a potential investment opportunity for domestic and international investors.
Xola Consulting, Inc. (www.xolaconsulting.com) provides consulting services to individual adventure tour company operators and tourism boards interested in adventure tourism development for the benefit of rural communities and the environment. Xola also specializes in supporting organizations seeking to blend adventure tourism and volunteer service. Xola consultants have in-depth experience in emerging markets around the world including Central and South America, North Africa and Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), India and Nepal.
In 2005, Xola launched Off the Radar (www.travelofftheradar.com) to bring passionate, independent travelers reliable information about entrepreneurial adventure companies around the world – those who provide guests with a genuine, personal experience; who believe in sustainable, environmentally sensitive travel; and who believe in incorporating the local people and traditions of the places where they operate.
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