“With a majority of participants in off-road championships held across India being Keralites, it will be ideal to have such competitions regularly within the State, and Kodenchery, an upland village in Kozhikode, is heading in that direction with State and national levels off-road championships being held here,” said Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas.
Opening the International Kayaking Facilitation Centre at Pulikkayam in Kodenchery on (July 7) Sunday, the minister said that increasing the number of the off-road championships would boost the tourism sector. “We will attract participants from all over the globe, not just locals,” he added. MLA Linto Joseph said efforts were being made to bring the biggest Off-road championship held in Goa, to Kodenchery next year.
He added that as variety of adventure activities were being introduced, Kodenchery would develop into a hub of adventure tourism.
The Minister, District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, along with other officials and people’s representatives, took an adventure ride through the Off-road track set up at Kairali Estate, Kodenchery, for the upcoming national championship.
The centre, operated by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society with the assistance of Jelly Fish Water Sports, Beypore, will provide crash courses in white water kayaking, rafting, and rescue operations.
Media awards for the previous edition of the Malabar River Festival were distributed during the occasion. Chairman of Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited S.K. Sajeesh, Joint Director of Tourism D. Gireesh Kumar, and presidents of grama panchayats in the region were present.
Published - July 07, 2024 11:16 pm IST
