A new bi-monthly magazine, Explore, to cater to the growing number of adventure tourism enthusiasts in the subcontinent hit the stands Friday.
Launching the publication here late Thursday, Nawang Rigzin Zora, minister for tourism and culture, Jammu & Kashmir, said Explore was a unique initiative to promote a niche sector of tourism that had immense potential in India.
The minister said the state's Ladakh region offered innumerable options for adventure tourism. Zora belongs to the region.
An initiative of Explore Media, the inaugural May-June 2012 edition of Explore has '6 ways to go into a trance’ as its cover story. These six ways offer ‘Journey to Spiti’, ‘Wildlife at Uley’, ‘Peep into Batalik’, ‘Rafting in Zanskar’, ‘Manali-Leh Jeep Safari’ and ‘Camping at Pangong Tso’ as part of the menu for those looking for some adventure out of the routine urban life.
"Explore is not only about experiences and journeys. It is the presentation of a voyage into the realm of action and its associated paraphernalia for you," Gaurav Schimar, the magazine's editor, said at the launch.
"We aim at presenting the entire gamut of adventure options in the subcontinent and a comprehensive guide for those who have always wanted to experience life in its adventure avatar but never knew how,” said Schimar, who is involved in adventure tourism activities across the subcontinent.
He said the new magazine aimed at helping travellers access all requisite information and undertake various journeys down the adventure lane.
“Explore will serve as a one-stop guide along with its web portal, a repository of information and accounts. It aims to be the final word on adventure travel in the subcontinent and be an ideal platform for adventure seekers and service providers,” he said.
The 130-page magazine is priced at Rs.100.
Among those present at the launch were Lok Sabha member Shahnawaz Hussain, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India vice-president Ravi Singh Kalara, and Indian Mountaineering Foundation president Col. H.S. Chouhan.