After 2 months, Paragliding resumes in Himachal Pradesh

Due to the arrival of the monsoon, the tourism department in Kangra has decided to suspend the paragliding activities for two months, starting July 15

After a two-month halt due to the monsoon season, the paragliding activities resumed in Kangra on Monday with tandem flights taking place in Bir Billing and Dharamshala.

Billing Paragliding Association president Anurag Sharma said, “Paragliding activities resumed and today around 300 tandem flights were made on the first day. The activities, however, will increase in the coming days, with over 1,000 tandem flights in a day,” he said. (HT File)

Due to the arrival of the monsoon, the tourism department in Kangra has decided to suspend the paragliding activities for two months, starting July 15. The ban had been imposed to avoid paragliding mishaps, which could occur due to inclement weather during the monsoon.

Billing Paragliding Association president Anurag Sharma said, “Paragliding activities resumed and today around 300 tandem flights were made on the first day. The activities, however, will increase in the coming days, with over 1,000 tandem flights in a day,” he said.

The activities are expected to see an increase in the coming days with the Paragliding World Cup being held from November 2 in Bir Billing. “The hotel bookings for October and November have seen a steep rise as a large number of paragliding enthusiasts are expected to throng Bir Billing for the upcoming World Cup,” Sharma said.

Himachal attracts thousands of adventure seekers every year, including paragliding enthusiasts from across the world. Bir-Billing in Kangra district, often referred to as the paragliding capital of India is the world’s second-highest paragliding site and is ranked among the top paragliding sites of the world. The other sites for paragliding in Himachal include Bandla Dhar near Bilaspur and Solang Valley near Manali.

As paragliding was banned, most of the hotels and homestays in Bir-Billing wore a deserted look. The tourism and hospitality business, however, is expected to see an increased business in the coming days as tourist arrivals will increase.

Himachal is set to host the Paragliding World Cup 2024 (PWCIndia’24), its second, and debut the Himachal Paragliding Fest (HPF’24) across Kangra district from November 2 to 9.

The opening edition Paragliding World Cup, which was also India’s first, was held at Bir-Billing in 2015. It was also the first World Cup to be held in India.