Arunachal CM kicks off a bike trip to promote adventure sports in the state

In a bid to promote adventure sports and tourism, Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu covered a stretch of 122 km on a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 from Yingkiong to Pasighat on Sunday. Having begun his ride from the circuit house in Yingkiong at 8 in the morning, Khandu reached the airport after about 2.5 hours. 

Fondly known as the ‘land of dawn-lit mountains’, the state of Arunachal Pradesh is known for its meagre road network which makes an adventure ride a religious experience for the ultimate adventure seeker. The Chief Minister showcased the state as a great viable option for adventure tourism and biking. Khandu had shared a video of himself riding the motorcycle through the hillside of Arunachal Pradesh on Facebook.

This is, however, not the first time that he was spotted on a motorcycle. In the past, he has been spotted riding other Royal Enfield bikes and was seen cycling with actor Salman Khan last year. Khandu tweeted later:

The state remains largely unexplored and Khandu promotes tourism across Arunachal with hashtags like #AmazingArunachal and #VisitArunachal on his social media accounts. With an improved 50 per cent growth in tourism over the past few years, the state is seeking to be transformed into an adventure tourism hotspot to draw the young and the daring. Gauging the high potential for adventure sports, the Centre had, in 2016, set up the country’s first adventure sports institute in West Kameng district to provide professional training in mountaineering and aero sports.