Xola Consulting Collaborates with Prom Peru on Adventure Tourism Development & Marketing Initiative

(Lima, Peru) – June 25, 2008 – Xola Consulting, Inc. has completed a project with PromPeru, Peru’s tourist promotion agency, to develop a strategy for developing and promoting Peru’s most valuable adventure tourism assets to international tourism professionals and travelers. Xola’s work in Peru will be featured in the first annual release of the Adventure Tourism Development IndexTM report due out in September, 2008.

Prom Peru, the agency responsible for marketing Peru’s tourism assets, sought support specifically for the marketing and development of emerging adventure tourism assets. With tourism in Peru up 17% from 2007, policymakers saw the opportunity to draw more visitors to the country, but were concerned about preserving important cultural and natural resources.

They selected Xola as their partner in this important initiative because of its specialization in adventure tourism, the linkages to industry that its approach offers, and its overriding emphasis on sustainable tourism development for the benefit of communities and the environment.

Working in collaboration with Prom Peru and local communities, the Xola project team completed an ATDI “Feature Adventure Destination” analysis in the north and central regions of the country. Using the Adventure Tourism Development IndexTM approach, Xola identified and evaluated potential adventure tourism “Hotspots” within Peru and provided product development and marketing strategy recommendations to support their success.

Highlights of the research showcasing Peru’s unique assets will be revealed to more than 450 international adventure tour operators and adventure and mainstream travel media in the full ATDI report, slated for public release in September 2008. The report will also feature Xola’s work in Assam, India that is expected to generate interest in Assam not only as an adventure tourism destination, but also as a potential investment opportunity for domestic and international investors.

The Adventure Tourism Development Index™ (ATDI) sets a new standard for sustainable adventure tourism development and is a joint initiative of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, The George Washington University, and Xola Consulting, Inc. (For details on the ATDI see www.gwutourism.org/iits/ATDI.htm or www.xolaconsulting.com/atdi.php). The ATDI is designed to encourage and shape tourism development policies for the benefit of local people and the environment by providing a structured method that can be readily applied in emerging markets.

About Xola Consulting, Inc.
Xola Consulting, Inc. (www.xolaconsulting.com) provides consulting services to individual adventure tour company operators and tourism boards interested in adventure tourism development for the benefit of rural communities and the environment. Xola also specializes in supporting organizations seeking to blend adventure tourism and volunteer service. Xola consultants have in-depth experience in emerging markets around the world including Central and South America, North Africa and Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), India and Nepal.

In 2005, Xola launched Off the Radar (www.travelofftheradar.com) to bring passionate, independent travelers reliable information about entrepreneurial adventure companies around the world – those who provide guests with a genuine, personal experience; who believe in sustainable, environmentally sensitive travel; and who believe in incorporating the local people and traditions of the places where they operate.