The newly formed Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) Women’s Collective has kicked off its presence with a bang – the first ever gender sensitization workshop for the entire adventure travel industry.

The workshop will be held online on Friday, September 10^th, 2021 from 4:30 to 6:00 PM and will be conducted by “Devee”, an organization that seeks to empower women by building equitable workplaces that will help them achieve their full potential, and at the same time, help men understand that for a workplace to thrive, gender sensitization is an important first step.

Leading this workshop are Priyadarshini Narendra, an IIM and INSEAD Alumni, and Doorva Bahuguna, an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad. Together, they have a combined experience of over 40 years in senior management roles across a myriad industry that include sports, media, advertising and FMCGs. Priya and Doorva are both passionate speakers and have conducted a series of gender sensitization workshops across industries and organizations.

The ATOAI Women’s Collective is formed with the intent to create a network of women entrepreneurs associated with the adventure tourism industry and to help budding and aspiring women entrepreneurs find a firm footing in the industry. Chairperson of the ATOAI Women’s Collective Arshdeep Anand says: “Over the past decade we have seen an amazing rise in women clients willing to step out of their comfort zones to explore the outdoors. A lot of these women are now also stepping forward as entrepreneurs, seeking to find a toe-hold in an industry usually dominated by men. The ATOAI Women’s Collective seeks to inspire, nurture and celebrate these women and we strongly feel that a gender sensitization workshop is the need of the hour. It will help our industry understand the importance of gender roles and expectations and how together, we can build a more equitable industry where our behaviors, attitudes, values and beliefs will contribute to a stronger more diverse adventure travel industry.”

Mr. Vishwas Makhija, President of ATOAI, says: “We are delighted and honored to be a part of this Gender Sensitization initiative by ATOI Women’s Collective. With this program, we hope to enlighten our colleagues across the industry to understand gender stereotype and unquestioned prejudices that find no place in an industry where merit alone is the criteria for success, across all stakeholder, co-workers, and clients.”

ATOAI is the national representative body of Indian adventure tour operators with approx. 485+ member organizations pan India. ATOAI works closely with the industry and the Governments both at the Central and State levels to advocate policies, study trends, and create a safe environment for guests to participate in adventures across 31 verticals.