Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel inaugurated the 28th International Kite Festival (IKF) at picturesque Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Kite enthusiasts from nearly 30 countries across the globe have participated in the 28th edition of IKF organised by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat limited (TCGl). Apart from Ahmedabad, TCGl has also organised kite festivals in other places including Botad, Porbander, Mandvi, Surendranagar, Modhera and khambhat.
Speaking on the occasion the Gujarat Chief Minister gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to popularise kite festival in order to boost tourism industry in the State when he was Gujarat Chief Minister. Not only tourism but kite making industry too have grown tremendously in the State due to promotion of kite festivals, she said, adding, “The kite making industry has grown from `100 crore to `750 crore in the past one decade. Kites, threads and other things required for flying kites have given employment to thousands of people.”
The Governor of Gujarat, OP Kohli too remained present during the inauguration function of the International Kite Festival at Sabarmati Riverfront. The festival would continue for four days till Makar Sankranti (Utarayan) evening.
Sources in TCGl said that nearly 100 kite flyers and enthusiasts converged from 30 odd countries and participants from 27 different States of India. Most numbers of overseas participants have come from USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Netherlands, Singapore, Turkey, Vietnam, Poland, Argentina, Switzerland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Macau, Indonesia and Brazil.
It was former Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who used widely celebrated festivals Makar Sankranti and Navrantri as marketing tools to attract international tourists in Gujarat. He promoted kite flying and Garaba dance globally which increased tourists flow sizably in the State.
“Compared to 2.87 crore tourist in the State during 2013-14, the State attracted 3.26 crore tourists in the year 2014-15. Such festivities of Gujarat have generated lots of interest among domestic as well as overseas tourists,” said Gujarat’s Minister of State for tourism, Jayesh Radadia.
Nearly 2000 school students performed ‘Surya Namaskar’ during the inauguration of the IKF in presence of thousands of spectators. March past of the participants showing their national emblem on kites also generated lots of interest among
local people.