Experience the Magic of Monsoons at Andaman’s 2024 Festival
The Tourism Department has decided to organise, in conjunction with line departments in various sectors and major tourism stakeholders of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the "Monsoon Tourism Festival 2024" with the vibrant tagline #rhythmoftherains. The event is a showcase for promoting the Andaman Islands for year-round tourism; hence, a series of such exciting events and activities have been weaved into its design to draw visitors in the off-season, too.
The first programme of the festival will be a Road Show on 12 July 2024; celebrations will continue at Corbyn’s Cove on 13 and 14 July from 3 pm to 9 pm. Being a mid-July event held every year, it defies the notion that “beaches are only for water sports and swimming” by allowing one to experience and offer a great deal of activities that can be done throughout the year. The Department of Tourism took forward the flagging off of campaign initiatives to promote the island as a multi-experience destination with the added impetus to reduce seasonality in tourist inflows and maximise economic benefits from tourism all year round.
The Monsoon Tourism Festival is going to present many varieties of activities and events. Water sports of a new genre would be on display to enthral the visitors, showcasing the adventure potential of the islands. An exciting tug-of-war event will be organised to instil community spirit and this will turn out to be an entertainment for both participants and viewers. All these cultural programs will be a representation of the rich cultural heritage of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the form of live music, dance shows, and an immersive experience provided to visitors.
A rain dance arena will provide an activity zone through which the visitors can enjoy the monsoon rains in an active, chirpy atmosphere. To engage all visitors with entertainment, a beach volleyball arena will showcase interesting volleyball matches on the beach.
Stalls will be allotted for Rs. 2500 per day with applicable GST. Interested parties should apply through application forms that will be available from the Directorate of Tourism’s Planning Cell and to be submitted with a security deposit of Rs. 5000 before 9 July 2024. Fuel in the stalls shall be allotted on a lottery system, subject to other criteria prescribed hereinafter that makes the process of allotment fair and transparent for the applicants.
The Monsoon Tourism Festival will then have massive global effects on travellers. It is taken up with the intention to achieve all-year-round tourism so that the Andaman Islands can be projected as a destination to be enjoyed irrespective of the season. This will eventually attract international tourists who seek new tourism experiences and would like to travel to the Andaman Islands during the monsoon season. The lineup of socio-cultural events in the festival is likely to provide international visitors the opportunity to engage with and appreciate the local heritage and people, directly contributing to enriching all parties concerned with social-cultural understanding and exchange. Coupled with the fact that the monsoon season is a high time for tourist inflow, this inflames the local economy, giving an opportunity to provide income and employment to the people inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
