TTT NEWS NETWORK
KOZHIKODE, 13 JUNE 2024:
The Malabar River Festival next month aims to make Kerala an important destination for adventure tourism in the country and also fetch international focus for the state in this sport, Minister Mr. P.A. Mohamed Riyas said on Wednesday.
Considering the huge potential of Malabar, the state has been conducting the festival in a grand way so that the footfalls to the region keep rising, he said ahead of the July 25-28 event in the district.
“Kerala still has rivers that can host white-water kayaking,” he noted during an online meeting in the run-up to the tenth edition of Malabar River Festival. The four-day fest is being organised on behalf of the Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (ATPS), District Tourism Promotion Council and Kozhikode District Panchayat with technical help from the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association.
The Malabar River Festival is capable of boosting white-water kayaking across peninsular India, and aims to bring international focus in the sport with huge touristy appeal, Mr. Riyas said. The festival, which is to be held in upstate Thusharagiri, Chalipuzha and Iruvarinjipuzha, will also conduct competitions that seek to encourage local people alongside professionals to excel in kayaking.
“We will be trying to showcase our rivers as tracks for kayaking at the international level,” he added. The Malabar River Festival expects the participation of kayakers from 20-plus nations besides 100 professionals from within the country. There will be pre-event programmes such as MTB (mountain bike) water rally, water polo, swimming competitions at the state and national levels, besides fishing-bait contests, rugby and off-road rallies, according to the Minister.
The participants at the virtual meet included Thiruvambady MLA Shri Linto Joseph, Kerala Tourism Secretary Mr. K. Biju, Director Mrs Sikha Surendran, Kozhikode District Collector Mr. Snehil Kumar Singh, and ATPS Chief Executive Officer Mr. Binu Kuriakose besides presidents of eight panchayats and members of civic bodies at the village and municipal levels.
Earlier this week, Mr. Riyas had stated that the renewed focus on adventure and camping tourism is attracting a wave of visitors to Kerala, which has tremendous potential to emerge as a global adventure and eco-tourism hub.. “The state government’s focus is on developing world-class infrastructure. Our efforts are to make Kerala the finest destination for thrill seekers and adventure lovers,” he said.
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