A multinational team of women rowers from Dubai will take up the paddle and the challenge during the famous Nehru Cup snake boat race to be held in Alleppey in August.
DUBAI: A multinational team of women rowers from Dubai will take up the paddle and the challenge during the famous Nehru Cup snake boat race to be held in Alleppey in August.
Julie Amer, of the Dubai-based adventure group ‘Mountain High’ will lead the team of ten from Dubai who will team up with 23 women from Alleppey Boat Club in Kerala.
“My yoga teacher from Kerala told me about the race which prompted me to try our hand at it. I have been to Kerala this June for two days to learn the nitty gritties of the race,” she told DNA.
Julie who is from Britain has been in Dubai for nine years promoting adventure sports. She is also currently involved in bringing the Dragon Boat race from the far east to Dubai. “We will have four days of training in Kerala before take the paddles for the race,” said Julie adding that the Dubai team comprises rowers from South Africa, New Zealand, Jordan, Germany and China besides UK.
The Dubai team’s participation is facilitated by India Tourism Department, Dubai and Jayashree Travels, Ajman.
First held in 1952, the chundan vallam (snake boat) race became popular thanks to the interest shown by the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. India Tourism Department widely publicises the race in foreign countries. “Kerala and Dubai has a lot of synergies in water sports and the effort is to revive them. The multinational team from the emirate would highlight the truly cosmopolitan character of the UAE at present,” PV Kumar, executive director, Jayashree Travels said.
India Tourism Department has been promoting medical tourism to India and has been running a campaign “Enjoy the Showers” to attract visitors to India during the monsoons. Despite the Incredible India campaign, the number of foreign tourists to India has stagnated at around 3 million, which is less than one per cent of world tourist arrivals.
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