International Paragliding Fest Opens at Vagamon Tomorrow

KOCHI:
The International Paragliding Festival Kerala, organised by the Department of Tourism to catapult Kerala as an ideal destination for adventure tourism, will begin tomorrow at the famed hill station of Vagamon in Idukki.

Tourism and Public Works Minister PA Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate the event at Vagamon Adventure Park at 4 pm. Water Resources Minister Roshi Augustine will preside. The festival will last until March 17.

Kerala Tourism is organising four international championships this year to showcase Kerala’s adventure tourism potential to the world. The first of these is the Paragliding Festival.

Dean Kuriakose MP, PJ Joseph MLA, MM Mani MLA, Vazhur Soman MLA, A Raja MLA, Sebastian Kulatungal MLA, District Panchayat President KT Binu, Tourism Director PB Nooh, District Collector and DTPC Chairman Sheeba George, KATPS CEO Binu Kuriakose will also attend the function.

The event will feature international paragliding champions and world-renowned riders. Army, Air Force, and Navy adventure units will also participate in this competition. More than 100 nationally and internationally renowned gliders will participate in India’s largest aero sports adventure festival.

Paragliding competitions will be held in Mini XC, Spot Landing at Top Landing Spot, Mini Acrobatics Show, Hike and Fly, Ground Handling and Thermaling. The spot landing competition is designed to showcase the precision and expertise of paragliders as they demonstrate their ability to land accurately on a designated sport. This challenge will test the participants’ skills and provide an exciting spectacle for the audience. The participants will be judged based on their approach control and final landing accuracy.

The prize money is Rs 3 lakh. Around 35,000 in-person spectators and 20 lakh viewers worldwide on digital platforms are expected to witness the action. The competitions are jointly organised by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) under the Department of Tourism and Idukki District Tourism Promotion Council with the technical support of the Paragliding Association of India.

Other international adventure recreation championships hosted by Kerala this year are the International Surfing Festival (Varkala), the International Mountain Cycling Championship (Mananthavadi, Wayanad) and White Water Kayaking Festival (Thusharagiri, Kozhikode).