| National Institute of Watersports | |
| Type: | Central Autonomous |
| Chairman: | Minister for Tourism, Govt. of India |
| City: | Panaji |
| State: | Goa |
| Country: | India |
| Coor: | 15.4598°N 73.8021°W |
| Nickname: | NIWS[1] |
| Footnotes: | A variety of water sports |
The National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) is designated centre under Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) which run by Tourism Ministry, India.[2] The Institute, only one of its nature in South Asia, acts as the apex body for training, education, consultancy and research on areas related to recreational and leisure Watersports. The certification and licensing from this Institute are required for carrying out operations in water-bodies such as handling different watercraft for the tourists, swimming pools, water theme-parks etc. Some major disciplines for training and education are life saving, powerboat handling, sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, scuba diving, river rafting and kayaking. From Academic Year 2016, MBA- Tourism (Tourism & Travel) has been introduced & PhD in Tourism & Travel commenced in July 2018 at its state-of-the art campus.[3]
The National Institute of Water Sports was established in July 1990 under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India on a 16.5 acres of beach side site in Panaji.[4] In 2004, it was designated as a A Centre under Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). It is the first institute of its kind in the South East Asia and only Institution under the Central or State Government for the matters related to Aqua-tourism and adventure.[5] The Board of Governors of IITTM[6] controls the activities of the institute.
The Institute is the apex body for water sports in India and the nodal agency for training, consultancy, development, regulation, framing safety norms, benchmarking and promotion of water sports. The Adventure Tourism Guidelines of Govt. of India designated NIWS as only agency for training, certification and licensing for handling recreational watercraft in India. The spectrum of activities ranges from advising state government agencies and corporate/ private entrepreneurs on safety norms, preparation of feasibility studies, organising water sports awareness and water safety campaigns, inspection and certification of water sports centres to training on water sports disciplines. A training program namely "Sea Rescue Squad" has been introduced recently. It is also actively engaged in competence building of defence agencies especially in the domain of aqua-based adventures.
The state-of-the art, iconic campus being built for the Institute at Caranzalem, Near Dona Paula Circle, Panaji, Goa has all modern training and education facilities including an Olympic-size dive pool.[3] It is bestowed with best talents and faculty pool. Efforts are also being made to expand the facility and cover a wide range of adventure sports including land-based adventures [7] at Caranzalem, Panjim in Goa.
MBA- Tourism (Tourism & Travel) commenced from 2016-17 and PhD (Tourism Management) in July 2018. The program of BBA- Tourism & Travel is also being planned to commence in a year period.
These are meant for certification and licensing to handle various operations and are broadly of three categories: skill enhancement, professional and management courses.[8] [9]
Skill Courses
Professional Courses
For Resorts and Industries
Management Courses
During the setting up of the Institute at Caranzalem, there were oppositions from some sections of local fishermen citing that it could affect the traditional fishing in the area and thereby their livelihood. The Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE), an organization of fishermen also submitted a memorandum to the Goa government against setting up of the campus, citing that it would violate the coastal regulation (CRZ) zone guidelines. However, the authorities of the Institute clarified the matter to concerned agencies of the government and the local communities and there is no violation of CRZ stipulations. According to them, the concerns are misplaced and the full-fledged infrastructure would rather be complementary and beneficial to the local communities. The concept and the design of the Institute are such that it nourishes the ecosystem around. Media also reported that all necessary permissions are in place for the development of the campus. The apprehensions of the local communities were also clarified since there was some misunderstanding on its impacts. This environment-friendly infrastructure would be fully operational very shortly.[10] [11] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Water-sports-institute-to-get-new-iconic-building-at-Caranzalem/articleshow/26377677.cms
NIWS has published two papers with regard to water sports and tourism.
Apart from the two papers, NIWS has also come out with a brochure on Safety Norms for Watersports.