Scaling up Kerala’s standing as an adventuretourismdestination, the state is all set to host international Surfing, Paragliding andMountainCycling championships in February-March this year.
The International Surfing Festival will be held at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuramdistrict on February 27 and 28, the International Paragliding Festival at VagamoninIdukki from March 19 to 23 and Mountain Terrain Biking Championship (MTBKerala2025) on March 28 and 30 at Manathawady in Wayanad.
All the three events are organised by Kerala Adventure TourismPromotionSociety(KATPS) under the Tourism Department, in association with the District TourismPromotion Councils (DTPCs) concerned.
“As a leading adventure sports destination, these events firmly mark Keralaontheglobal adventure tourism map, thereby attracting tourists and adventuresportsenthusiasts, giving a further impetus to the long-termgrowth of tourismindustry,”Tourism Minister Shri P A Mohamed Riyas said.
The state’s core strengths to hold such events as well as the support extendedbythestate agencies and tourism stakeholders made the previous editions of these festivalsabig success, the Minister added.
Surfers from different parts of the country will vie for honours in various categoriessuch as SUP Technical Race, Paddle Board Technical Race and SUP Surfing.
Technicalsupport for the event is extended by Surfing Federation of India and InternationalSurfing Association (ISA).
Noting that the championship aims to transform Kerala into a major surfing destination, Shri Riyas said it will provide an opportunity for water sports enthusiasts toknowmoreabout surfing.
The International Paragliding Festival, India’s biggest aero sports event, tobeheldatthe picturesque backdrop of Vagamon, will have around 75 gliders vying for honours, ofwhom 40 will be from abroad.
The participants will be from 25 countries including France, Italy, US, Spain, NewZealand, Australia, UK, Belgium, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark, Peru, CzechRepublic, Norway and Canada, besides states like Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
The highlight of the fest will be the competition for Vagamon International AccuracyCup2025 featuring the best paragliding pilots from world over, which will be thefirst TopLanding event in the world.
KATPS is organising the event in association with DTPC, Idukki.
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), Aero Club of India, and Orange Life ParaglidingSchool, India will provide technical support to the event.
Cyclists from about 25 countries are expected to participate in the eightheditionofInternational Mountain Cycling Championship (MTB Kerala 2025).
The event will alsofeature amateur competitions of cyclists from India. The winners can competewithglobal cyclists of MTB Kerala.
The five-km-long track for the race is above 3000 feet from the sea level.
Themajorattraction of the event is the Cross-Country cycling in which cyclists have tonegotiatethe muddy, rocky and puddled terrains. MTB Kerala has been featured in the MTB calendar of Switzerland-headquarteredUnionCyclist International, the administrative arm of sports cycling