Valparai to host summer festival after 4-year gap

Coimbatore: After a gap of four years, the tourism department is planning to host the summer festival in Valparai to attract tourists.
The festival was not hosted after 2017 due to heavy rainfall, model code of conduct and the Covid-19 pandemic. “The tourism department plans to conduct it at the end of May or in the first week of June. We have sent a proposal to the state government and an order is awaited in this regard,” said district tourist officer D Umasankar.

Unlike the summer festival in Ooty, the one planned in Valparai will be a three-day event with cultural programmes and a flower show, a tourism department official said. “Government departments also set up stalls at the venue. We plan to host it at the government higher secondary school in Valparai.”
The hilly region has been witnessing a huge increase in the arrival of tourists after easing of lockdown restrictions. Hotels, homestays and resorts are seeing a good occupancy rate.
Influx of tourists has been increasing after schools declared summer vacation, said coordinator of Valparai Tourism Development Council C M Ali. “Valparai is currently getting mild to moderate rainfall. But tourists from Karnataka, Chennai and other places are visiting the region. The summer festival is bound to attract more people.”
The state government must announce a fixed date for the summer festival, similar to Ooty, to attract more tourists to Valparai, said secretary of Valparai Taluk Merchants Association Shaji George.