The 12th edition of the Malabar River Festival is scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 2 at Chalipuzha and Iruvazhinjipuzha in Kozhikode, as announced by Tourism Minister P C Vishnunadh on Friday. This festival is recognized as Asia's largest white water kayaking competition.
The minister stated that international kayakers from more than 20 countries and over 100 national kayakers are expected to participate in the event. To promote the festival, approximately 18 adventure sports events will be organized across Kozhikode municipality and eight panchayats.
Last year's festival saw participation from 18 kayakers representing countries such as the USA, New Zealand, Chile, Russia, Belgium, Italy, Malaysia, Ukraine, and Nepal, along with 85 Indian kayakers. The organizing committee will function under the patronage of the tourism minister, with the Kozhikode district collector serving as the committee chairman. Additionally, representatives from the public, officials, and cultural sectors will be included in the committee.
The Kerala tourism department is organizing the event with technical cooperation from the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association. The minister expressed expectations for significant participation from adventure sports enthusiasts, tourism representatives, and international kayakers. Vishnunadh also mentioned that the government is considering safety inspections at amusement parks in Kerala. He emphasized the need for sustainable tourism similar to responsible tourism and stated that a decision would be made after discussions with relevant parties.
