Call of adventure draws tourists to Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: It's no longer just the weather and greenery that draws people towards Coimbatore district for a holiday. An increasing number of adventure lovers and thrill seekers are also setting their sights on the region when they look to take a break.
From kayaking and swimming to hot air ballooning and hot air ballooning, there's a host of activities that adventure sports companies are packaging for tourists from across the country and the world.The number of adventure-based events held in the region has gone up from about five a decade ago to more than 15 in 2014.
The most recent adventure activity that drew thrill seekers and sightseers alike was the international hot air ballooning event that was held in Coimbatore and Pollachi in January. "Ballooning has the potential to make a place into a holiday destination," said Benedict Savio, who organized the event. "Tourism is growing in Pollachi, which is why we chose the place for the event. It is virgin territory and the number of visitors can only go up," he said.
Coimbatore having an international airport as well as being well-connected by train makes it a good gateway to the western region which has potential for wildlife tourism, water sports, racing, trekking and mountaineering and biking. Another high-profile event is the Tour de Nilgiris, which goes through the neighbouring Nilgiris district.
This trend has also led to more foreigners visiting the city. Coimbatore-based adventure tourism companies say they have seen at least 100 foreign visitors from Europe in the last year, compared to single digit numbers in the previous years.
The adventure sport companies offer a range of activities. "Tourists usually enjoy lake swimming, bird watching, wind surfing, rock climbing, trekking and mountain terrain biking," said Captain (retd) Jayashankar, who runs Camp Splendour, an adventure sports company. "We usually take people to Thirumurthy Dam where the government has encouraged us to promote water sports. It also has enough space for land-based activities," he said. "While trekking is done in the Ghat mountains, mountain biking is done on routes to Ooty, routes to Valparai and Vettaikaran Pudur."
Hotels have also tied up with tour companies to promote adventure tourism. "The whole point is to make Coimbatore one of the destinations to visit and not just treat it as a stopover city en route to the hill stations in the Nilgiris or to Kerala," said Erin Louis, general manager, The Residency, a luxury hotel. "We are doing this in a desperate bid to woo tourists and improve our room occupancy rates," he said.
"Adventure tourism gives people a chance to get to know the local culture, flora and fauna because tourist go through lesser known and populated areas while trekking, cycling or backpacking. They stop at small places for meals and chat with locals," said Sam T Samuel, who runs Kalypso Adventures in Kochi. "We are now including Coimbatore as part of our biking and cycling trips and do a longer route in the region," he said.