ILAM: Ilam is set to host the ‘First Suryodaya Tea Festival-2083’ on November 21 and 22, with the aim of promoting tea tourism, showcasing local tea products and highlighting the region’s growing tourism potential.
The festival will be jointly organised by Suryodaya Municipality, the Koshi Province Government and the Tourism Development Project. It will feature a range of activities, including tea trail races, discussions on tea, tea promotion and tasting, trekking along tea garden trails, local food and culinary exhibitions, and cultural processions.
Preparations for the two-day event have been intensified, according to the organisers.
Member Secretary of the organising committee, Pema Ugen Lama, said an interaction programme titled ‘Coping with Climate Change: Sustainable Tea Farming and Protection of Tea Farmers’ would be held with the participation of federal lawmakers, a secretary from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment, and local representatives.
The festival will also feature tea trail races in men’s and women’s categories, with different distances and cash prizes.
The men’s race will cover 12.5 kilometres, with the winner receiving Rs. 30,000, the runner-up Rs. 20,000 and the third-place finisher Rs. 10,000.
Similarly, the women’s race will cover nine kilometres, offering cash prizes of Rs. 20,000, Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5,000 to the first-, second- and third-place finishers, respectively.
The organisers expect around 10,000 visitors from within the country and abroad to attend the festival.
According to Lama, the event is intended to promote tea-based tourism and draw attention to the tea trail currently under construction in Suryodaya Municipality. The festival is estimated to cost Rs. 1.5 million.
The 25.5-kilometre tea trail is being developed under a trail-based tourism project and will connect Kanyam in Ward No. 7 of Suryodaya Municipality with Shree Antu in Ward No. 5.
The organisers believe the festival will help showcase Ilam’s tea-growing landscape, strengthen local tourism and create greater opportunities for promoting locally produced tea.
Comment