|
INDIA SETS SAIL FOR VOLVO OCEAN RACE
Fri, 27 Apr 2007
Volvo Ocean Race has moved forward with
its plans to bring the 2008-09 event to
India and it now looks likely that the
major southwestern port of Kochi will be
the stopover on the new race route
through the Middle East and Asia.
Race organisers signed a Letter of
Intent with Kochi on 26 April as a major
first step in ongoing negotiations
towards a full port agreement to host
the world’s premier offshore ocean
marathon which starts in Alicante,
Spain, in mid-October 2008.
Kochi was among a number of Indian ports
in recent discussions with organisers.
The Kochi Port Trust, which will be
responsible for organising the stopover,
with the full backing of the Kerala
Tourism Department, welcomed the signing
of the Letter of Intent and were
confident that the stopover would give
the port great exposure.
“India has never hosted such a
prestigious sailing event and we are
very excited that the Volvo Ocean Race
is considering Kochi as a serious
candidate for the competition,” said the
Chairman of the Kochi Port Trust, Mr N.
Ramachandran.
The booming shipping port on the Malabar
Coast is now one of India’s foremost
tourist destinations and the race
stopover is sure to bring thousands of
additional visitors to both Kochi and
the State of Kerala.
The Kerala State Tourism Department, a
principal stakeholder in the exercise,
envisages the event would bring
significant visibility as well as
economic benefit to the region.
“Kerala Tourism sees this as an
opportunity to project Kochi as an
exciting destination, and we will be
happy to extend all support to the Kochi
Port Trust to bring the event to the
State,” said Dr Venu, Secretary, Kerala
Tourism.
The Yachting Association of India (YAI),
an active advocate of the race coming to
India, sees the hosting of a stopover as
an important boost to India’s ongoing
campaign to establish itself as a venue
for hosting major sporting events
following its successful bid to stage
the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in
2010.
“Hosting one of the world's top three
sailing events will obviously boost any
future bid to host major sailing as well
as other sports events in India," said
Commander Ajay Narang, Honorary Joint
Secretary-General, YAI. “It will also be
a tremendous fillip for local sailing,”
he added.
Volvo Ocean Race CEO Glenn Bourke also
greeted the Letter of Intent with Kochi
as a significant step forward after
months of discussions. “India has
hundreds of millions of enthusiastic
sports fans and we know they will enjoy
this challenging race, with its passion,
teamwork, adventure and excitement.”
Source:
'The
Volvo Ocean Race'
Home
ll
Back ll
Top
|
Exotic Vacations ; Great Beach
Getaways
Lakshadweep, the Hundred
Thousand Islands !
Houseboat Holidays & Photo
Images
Kerala Ayurvedic Treatments &
Packages
Find more romantic retreats at:
Travelsindia.com
|
The Yachts India Market Place
|
|
For the man who has everything,
yachts are the ultimate luxury.
Sell a new or used Yacht
including traditional and modern
vessels, power, sail,
multi-hulled and cruising yachts
by using our comprehensive
listings of Agents and Dealers.
You can also shop for services
such as Fresh-Water Cruise,
Salt-Water Cruise, Adventure
Cruise, Hotels, Resorts,
Marinas, Boarding & Lodgings,
Finance, Insurance, Renting,
Maintenance, after market
accessories and find useful
information related to the
boating industry.
We offer worldwide
sales exposure for your products
at a price you can afford.
|
Sell Your Boat
Online Market Place
| |
