Things are going up in the world for tourism in the Araku Valley, a renowned hill station in the unsung yet beautiful southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The second Araku Balloon Festival last month gave holidaymakers the exhilarating experience of ascending from the site, perched 3,000ft above sea level in the Eastern Ghat mountains, to drift amid the spectacular landscape, while plans are afoot to develop luxurious glamping facilities in the biodiverse environment on the ground.
The Andhra Pradesh Ministry of Tourism is gearing up for a commercial rollout of glamping sites in the valley this year, providing a base for visitors to enjoy the area’s rich attractions, from nature trails in the protected forestry reserves to waterfalls, caves and coffee plantations.
Araku’s verdant expanses were dotted with a riot of bright colours at the festival, as balloons of all shapes and sizes with incongruous names took to the skies. Organised by Sky Waltz Balloon Safari, part of the events management operation E-Factor, in association with the tourism ministry, the three-day festival saw participation by 21 ballooning teams from 15 countries, with 70 tents, paramotoring displays, live music and excursions.
“This is a beautiful place to fly,” Wout Bakker of Thailand told the Economic Times newspaper on board the balloon he was manning. With 25 years’ experience, Bakker has flown all over the world.
“The region has great potential,” added Sukhbir Singh Sekhon of the Malaysian hot-air ballooning company Glowing Intuition.
State officials and organisers hope to begin commercial operations in earnest in November and are confident that Araku can offer far more ballooning trips a year than is usual. Since the area sits in a geographical bowl, is has a microclimate making it favourable for the sport.
“Nowhere else do balloons take off at 9.30am or 10am,” said Samit Garg, chief executive of E-Factor. “Around the world, flights usually take place at sunrise and go on for two hours at the most. Thereafter, conditions are rarely favourable, so Araku offers a fantastic opportunity. This area will become more of an attraction and we are not seeing it as a casual weekend holiday — it’s an experiential holiday.”
Kaushik Mukherji, principal adviser to the Andhra Pradesh tourism ministry, said 2,600 online inquiries had been received over the last 40 days. Packages in the valley will range from one to three nights, priced up to R79,000 (£845). For a couple, a one-night stay including a 45- to 65-minute balloon ride, tented accommodation, food and drinks will cost about £320. Potential investors have already shown strong interest in the project.
Little known outside the subcontinent, Andhra Pradesh is the third most visited of India’s 29 states, attracting 122m tourists in 2015 — a 30% growth on the previous year. With its vast 605 miles of coastline the state has long been a mecca for Indian beach-lovers, snorkellers and scuba-divers, but inland the Eastern Ghats also provide excellent potential for ecotourism. Apart from the superb opportunities for trekking and climbing, local splendours include the ancient Borra Caves and their million-year-old stalactite and stalagmite formations, Asia’s biggest chilli market in Guntur and the intricately carved 16th-century Lepaski Temple, where a mysterious “suspended” pillar appears to defy gravity.
The powerhouse Indian economy and resulting affluence among the middle classes has pushed tourism to the fore in this vast and fascinating country, with glamping a key part of the picture. In the central southern city of and tech-hub of Bangalore, well-heeled urbanistas are beginning to tire of glitzy five-star accommodation and looking to luxury in the natural environment.
Take Abhishek Jain, managing director of Terapact Technology. He saw in the new year at a tented property in the Thar Desert at Jaisalmer, comfortably appointed in a temperature-controlled Swiss tent. Won over by this kind of experience, he wasted no time in heading for the Jim Corbett National Park, a forested wildlife sanctuary in northern India’s Uttarakhand State, where the canvases conceal smart televisions and wi-fi. “This gives you the best of both worlds,” Jain said. “You are close to all the action at the destination yet connected with the amenities of the city.”
Glamping as well as caravanning continue to boom as professionals with generous disposable incomes seek more beguiling recreation for their rupee. Sites offering “experiental” stays are springing up in the deserts of Rajasthan and Himalayan regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Leh.
At the top-end Bison Resort in Nagarhole National Park, in the southwestern state of Karnataka, the sophisticated safari camps of Kenya have been recreated to deliver “uncomplicated rawness coupled with ultimate comfort”, and the 13 tents are in demand throughout the year. Techies and entrepreneurs are beating a path to these opulent pavilions, with indoor foyers, telescopes in the verandas, hot tubs and outdoor beds from which to contemplate the stars.
“High disposable income has people happily spending to see a tiger for birthdays and anniversaries,” says Shaaz Jung, owner of the Bison. “People leave the cities but want the comforts of the city.” Amit Shetty, co-founder of the Indian campsite marketplace Campmonk, notes that the growing interest in glamping has been fuelled by the desire for “eco-adventures”.
The World Travel & Tourism Council has projected that within a decade, India will be the fourth largest tourist economy on earth.
by Mark Curtis-Raleigh
