The Sikkim government recently conducted two training sessions for adventure tourism service providers to strengthen safety protocols, enhance professional skills, and promote sustainable adventure and eco-tourism across the mountain state.
On Friday, a day-long training programme on rescue operations and high-altitude mountain sickness management was organised at Yuksam by the Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP)’s Gyalshing division.
“The initiative aimed at enhancing tourist safety and emergency preparedness and promoting sustainable adventure tourism in the park. It focused on equipping tourism stakeholders, who include trekking guides, caretakers of trekkers’ huts, trekking cooks, support staff and others associated with the trekking sector, with practical skills in first aid, emergency medical response and rescue techniques,” said a source.
Bhumika Rai, the divisional forest officer of the KNP, which is under the state forest and environment department, has said the initiative formed part of a preventive strategy to minimise casualties along trekking routes, particularly the Dzongri-Goechala trail.
“As part of our preventive measures, we are providing hands-on training to tourism stakeholders to equip them with basic first aid and rescue techniques and thereby reduce risks along trekking routes within the Khangchendzonga National Park,” she said, adding that visitor safety during trekking, mountaineering and adventure tourism activities remained a top priority.
Rai informed that similar programmes would be conducted regularly, especially along the Dzongri-Goechala route.
The participants witnessed live demonstrations and practical exposure in the use of the Gamow bag, portable altitude chambers (PAC), oxygen cylinder handling, CPR and basic life support (BLS) techniques, improvised stretcher preparation and emergency evacuation procedures.
As part of enhanced safety measures, major trekking huts and campsites under KNP — including Tshoka, Dzongri and Thangsing — have been equipped with oxygen cylinders and first-aid kits to avert casualties, said sources.
The state government also conducted a 15-day advanced river rafting and search and rescue course, which concluded at Sikkip in Namchi district on Friday.
The course was conducted under the aegis of the adventure skilling training programme by the Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure Eco-Tourism (IHCAE), Chemchey, that functions under the state tourism and civil aviation department.
Sources said the training was held from February 13 to 27 along the commercially viable rafting stretches from Sikkip to the Dans Energy Dam on the Rangeet river and from Bardang to Mamring on the Teesta river.
On Friday, course completion certificates were distributed to 17 participants, including a woman, along with one-year accidental health insurance coverage.
The organisers said the newly certified rafting guides were expected to utilise their skills responsibly and contribute positively to society.
They emphasised the importance of building skilled manpower, assured government support for linking training to employment opportunities and announced that necessary guidelines and financial assistance would be extended to help trainees begin their professional journey.
“It is necessary to understand river systems and hydrology to promote sustainable adventure tourism. A summer adventure training programme will be organised in the coming season,” said a source.