Guwahati, April 29 : In a much-needed boost to adventure tourism in Meghalaya, the first National Paragliding Accuracy Championship in the state got under way at Kharkutta in North Garo Hills district, about 100 km from here, on Friday.
Around 100 competitors from across the country are taking part in the four-day competition.
“It is a matter of pride for Meghalaya that a national paragliding accuracy championship has been hosted by the state for the first time. I feel that the event will not only help Meghalaya showcase its natural beauty but also boost tourism in the state,” Meghalaya Cabinet minister James K Sangma, who was present at the event as chief guest, told mediapersons.
The minister lauded the initiative of NPP MLA from Kharkutta constituency, Rupert Momin in organising the paragliding accuracy competition at Chotcholja in Kharkutta.
“Such an initiative will aid in boosting the tourism prospects of the region in the near future, in turn benefitting the local community immensely. This is just a start though…in the coming days, adventure tourism will be taken to a higher level in the area,” Sangma said.
It may be mentioned that the local MLA, Momin, had taken the initiative for adventure tourism back in 2020 itself amidst the pandemic.
“The purpose of organising the event is to give tourism a much-needed boost in Meghalaya, particularly in the post-COVID scenario, besides creating employment avenues for the youths of the area and to bring overall development in the area,” Momin said.
“We had taken the assistance of adventure sports experts from the Northeast, Darjeeling and even Nepal,” he said.
The MLA further thanked the Meghalaya government for rendering financial assistance to the Kharkutta Paragliding Association to organise the national championship.
A member of the Kharkutta Paragliding Association told The Shillong Times that around 100 male and female participants from all over India had registered for the four-day competition through the online medium by April 21 itself.
“Trials were held on Thursday and the response was very good on the inaugural day. Thanks to paragliding avenues, the area has witnessed a gradual rise in tourist footfall over the past year or so, with domestic as well as foreign adventure enthusiasts visiting the area,” he said.