Three separate paragliding accidents killed three tourists within last three days in India, with one in Goa and two in Himachal Pradesh. With another such incident earlier this month, there's been four such fatal accidents in this month of January 2025.
As per various news reports, while two tourists ended up dead in separate paragliding crashes in Kullu and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh within two days (one happening on January 17th and the other on January 19th), another tourist and a paragliding operator were killed in an accident while paragliding in Keri, north Goa (on January 19th, 2025). It is also reported that the operator in Goa did not even have a valid licence or a permit to perform such activities. [1][2][3][4]
There has been totally three such fatal paragliding crashes in Himachal Pradesh in this month alone, with the earlier incident this month happening on January 8th, 2025, where a tourist was killed in a paragliding crash that happened in a village near Manali in Kullu district.[4] And that makes totally 4 tourists killed in 4 separate paragliding accidents in this month of January 2025, across the country.
Whether you'd have participated in it or not, you'd have seen paragliding, parasailing, and other kinds of adventure or recreational activities across several tourism destinations in India during your travels or trips, and you may have noticed the lack of safety measures or proper protocols in place for such activities. While it is true that accidents during adventure activities happen across the world, those happening in India seems to be predominantly due to lack of safety measures as well as the lack of proper monitoring of the same.
While several people have expressed their concerns and outrage about these recent incidents on the social media, Sridhar Vembu, the CEO of Zoho, is a notable personality to do the same. He posted on X today on 20 January 2025, about his friend's 27 year old son who was killed in the recent paragliding accident in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. In his post on X, he expressed his concern that "Way too many accidents happen with sickening regulatory there and I am deeply saddened Jeyesh became the latest statistic. Much stronger regulatory oversight required here."
He further stated in his post on X that he would do a risk analysis and that he would have declined para-gliding in Kulu as it is too accident prone. He further said that he hoped that young people avoid bad risks like this and he hoped that this death doesn't go in vain and regulators take a good look at it. [5]
He's got a good point there, and with three separate incidents there killing three tourists in the same month, it is indeed a serious matter of concern for tourists who'd want to indulge in such activities. For after all, who'd want a thrilling ride to be their last ride? And around the same time, the paragliding incident in Goa killing both the tourist as well as its operator, brings forward the serious question of how seriously is the aspect of safety even considered while conducting such activities.
Also, apart from adventure tourism, you'd also have noticed lack of safety measures even in regular aspects of tourism or while travelling. For example, while riding boats in several places, you might've also noticed a lack of basic safety measures or personnel training for the same, which has the potential for a possible disaster. Even overcrowding in the boats seems to happen at many places. While this may not cause an accident every time, it certainly is a matter of grave concern that has the potential to cause disastrous incidents.
For example, a recreational boat accident made the headlines, a couple of years ago on 7 May 2023 in Kerala's Malappuram district, where the boat capsized and caused 22 deaths and 10 injuries. The boat was found to be flouting regulations. The local media reported that the boat was overcrowded and there were no life jackets provided to the passengers. [6][7]
And a decade ago in 2014, there was an incident of an overcrowded tourist boat capsizing near Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, killing at least 21 people, with 11 missing.[8] It's not like such accidents are too many but they'd not have happened with better safety practices and regulations in place.
Whatever it be, travel and tourism will not improve without strict regulations in place as well as strict enforcement of those strict regulations.
And not to mention road accidents that happen on a daily basis, which is a result of rash driving and a total lack of road and lane sense. And you'd also have seen people driving vehicles on the wrong side of the road and overtaking recklessly on a blind curve and so on, even on the highways. Also, not to mention not wearing helmets when on a two wheeler, in addition to riding it in an impetuous manner. While strict regulations and enforcement may help, it won't really help until people themselves get wiser and care about their own safety.
But for a moment, let's forget about those day-to-day risks that everyone faces when travelling on the roads because of some imbeciles. When we come to travel as tourism, people travel to tourist destinations for fun and relaxation and some people look for some adventure, but nobody travels for it to be the final journey of their life. While it is up to the regulators to set up and maintain strict regulations in all these aspects, it is also important for us travellers to use our own brains to save it from being spilled on the road or at a destination. While it is fun to go on a thrilling ride, it is also up to us to find out whether there is proper safety measures in place before taking part in such adventurous activities.
But then, the question arises that how does any average tourist may know these things, such as, whether the operators are trained and certified or not. What is needed is a common safety and operational regulations across the country as well as a clear means of how tourists can verify as to whether an activity provider adheres to the same.
For example, how is one supposed to know whether an activity provider or operator is actually authorised and has properly trained personnel, has proper safety measures in place, and that it has been routinely verified by a regulatory agency and how often are such routine checks conducted on them to verify their compliance to safety practices and guidelines?
At the time, a tourist can always look up on the internet for the best safety practices and protocols for the particular adventure activity and then try to verify whether the activity provider adheres to it. The question is how to verify it. As you'd already know, reviews can be fake or paid for, and the only real way of assuring yourself is to go to the place and see with your own eyes on the activities taking place there before deciding to participate in it yourself.
There's a long way to go in getting the safety aspects right, and until then, it is up to the tourists to decide whether they want to risk it all for a thrilling ride or not. While there is always an outrage soon after a fatal incident happens and some action is taken by the authorities against the activity providers or operators, little is done later on, towards taking steps on prevention of such future incidents and then it soon gets forgotten, with nothing much done towards any improvements towards this aspect of safety regulations or their strict implementations.
These three tragic incidents, which shockingly happened so close in time to each other, and also the fourth such incident happening earlier in the same month, certainly bring back the focus on the safety aspects of adventure or recreational tourism in India and underline the urgency of required reforms, strict regulations, and stricter enforcement, for a better and effective safety standards that ensure a safer experience to adventure tourists across the country.
- Paragliding accident at Keri leaves tourist, operator dead - Times of India. TNN | Jan 19, 2025, 01.02 AM IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- 2 dead in Goa paraglider crash; tourism department says permission was not given - Hindustan Times. By HT News Desk, Jan 20, 2025 04:15 AM IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Paragliding mishaps kill two tourists in Himachal Pradesh, pilots injured - Hindustan Times. By HT News Desk, hindustantimes.com Jan 19, 2025 12:30 AM IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- 2 killed in 2 days in Himachal Pradesh paraglider crashes - Times of India. TNN | Jan 20, 2025, 02.02 AM IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Sridhar Vembu on X - Posted on 1:19 am, 20 Jan 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- 18 dead as houseboat capsizes in Kerala's Malappuram - Times of India. TNN | May 8, 2023, 12.26 AM IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Major Boat Tragedy in Kerala: Death Toll Climbs to 22 After Tourist Boat Capsizes in Malappuram, Rescue Op Restarts - Times Now News. Times Now Digital. Updated May 8, 2023, 07:28 IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- Overcrowded tourist ferry sinks in Andamans, 21 dead - Times of India. TNN | Updated Jan 15, 2015, 02.45 PM IST. Retrieved 20 January 2025.