Sports and Media
PADI and ATOAI Join Forces to Advance Safe Dive Tourism in India
scuba diving
Want to lose yourself in the underwater world populated with beautiful corals and fish right out of 'The Enchanted Forest?' It's now possible!
Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is collaborating with Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) through a new MoU designed to strengthen India's scuba diving and adventure tourism, with a focus on safety and sustainable growth.
PADI brings its worldwide experience of nearly 60 years in diver training, while ATOAI works with tour operators and industry stakeholders across India to promote the highest safety standards. Together, they aim to position India as a leading destination for safe and sustainable diving.
"PADI is thrilled to partner with ATOAI to advance sustainable adventure tourism and diving in India," says Thomas Knedlik, Vice President, PADI Asia Pacific. "This collaboration will help showcase India as a world-class diving destination, enhance diver education and safety through PADI's global standards and contribute to the development and adoption of ISO standards for scuba diving in India."
The MoU focuses on improving diver safety and training standards in India. PADI and ATOAI will share their expertise to help operators follow global best practices. They will also collaborate at national and international trade shows to promote India as a safe diving destination, and support marine conservation through activities like underwater and beach clean-ups.
"This collaboration with PADI marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards becoming a global leader in Responsible Adventure Tourism," said Ajeet Bajaj, President, ATOAI. "By uniting ATOAI's deep-rooted knowledge of India's diverse adventure landscape with PADI's internationally recognised expertise in diving safety and education, we aim to set new benchmarks in quality, safety and sustainability and showcase India as a world class diving and water sports destination."
The ATOI proposes to work closely with Bureau of Indian Standards and PADI to help develop and adopt robust national standards for scuba diving and other adventure activities. This PADI–ATOAI partnership is expected to increase the visibility of India's dive industry, boost local employment opportunities, and support economic growth across the adventure tourism sector.
About PADI
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global network of 6,600 dive centres and resorts, 128,000 professional members and more than 30 million certified divers. Committed to a blue planet, PADI sets the standard for high quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM.
About ATOAI
The Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), established in 1994, is the national representative body for India’s adventure travel and tourism sector. With over 700 members, ATOAI brings together the country’s leading adventure tour operators under a unified vision of promoting safe, sustainable and responsible adventure travel. The Association works closely with governments, policymakers and international partners to set safety standards, develop policy frameworks and strengthen India’s position as a premier global adventure tourism destination.
