Chennai
What is your take on Chennai’s coastal scene?
It’s fantastic that ocean sports such as surfing and stand-up paddling are gaining prominence here and that’s fantastic for tourism. Compared to other coasts, we have great waves here – and only a few people are taking ad-vantage of it. Because it’s in a nascent stage, lots of enthusiasts from across the world come here as it is less crowded.
How such sports help the community?
It provides the fishing community and surrounding villages with a source of income. It motivates several kids to stay in school and study well so that they get to surf later. We work with them actively to make sure they don’t resort to vices and stay focused.
Why is the Gen Y so attracted to this?
It is a great sport for beach weddings, parties and romantic dinners. Several youngsters and millennials come to Kovalam to hold such events, and discover the beauty of the atmosphere here. Plus, surfing is a sport/activity that lets you cut off from the rest of the world, focus and take a break. We also have the best of facilities and Kovalam hosts India’s biggest surf festival.
Where do you see this progressing over the next few years?
I think a lot more surf schools will come up and more shops need to come up here to awaken the rest of the world to the immense potential here. The surf culture will grow and help the villagers who live nearby.
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