‘Raid Amazones’ comes to Passikudah and jungles of Thoppigala
aid Amazones’(www. raidamazones.com), the world’s biggest female adventure challenge is to be held in Sri Lanka in two legs in 2018/19. The first leg will be held from the 11th to 19th of October 2018 and again in 2019 from the 23rd to 31st of March. The event will be held in the East coast of Sri Lanka in and around Passikudha, Thoppigala and Kalkudah. The event launch held at the Ceylon Hotel School, was organised by Connaissance De Ceylan in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism.
This international event is held once a year in a different country with around 500 to 600 participants competing in a week long multisport adventure challenge. In teams of two or three, the participants will compete in challenges such as:Orienteering;Cycling; Canoeing; Running and Archery. All the activities designed to test the skill, determination and teamwork of the contestants.
This 100% female event provides an opportunity for women to test their mental and physical endurance all whilst enjoying the beautiful environment and enthralling culture of the host country. The increasing popularity of fitness and wellbeing coupled with a growing desire for adventure make this the perfect event for women who want to push themselves out of their comfort zone and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. The challenging nature of the Raid Amazones helps empower and develop a spirit of intense bonding, cooperation and support between all the women taking part.
The 18th edition of the Raid Amazones (RA) will be returning to Sri Lanka in 2018/19 for the third time. Previous editions were held in 2004 and2009 with the participation of 225 and 138 female adventurers, respectively. However, this edition will stand out as it showcases the less travelled East coast of the country. The events will be spread around the east coast, providing much needed exposure to the relatively newer east coast tourism sector as well as showcasing the beauty, potential and viability of the formerly war-torn region. Locations, such as Thoppigala, have been seldom visited by tourists and will pro- vide the ideal backdrop for events. Raid Amazones is likely to play a key role in promoting and incentivising more adventure-based tourism events to come to Sri Lanka and the east coast.
In addition, the Raid Amazones comes with immense international media coverage for the event via print, television, radio, internet and social media providing excellent exposure for Sri Lanka as a country and tourism destination.
This coverage will create international publicity and awareness for the host destination estimated to be worth around $10 million. Showcasing Sri Lanka as a diversified, eco-friendly and compact destination that future travellers should include in their holidays plans.
Furthermore, the coverage will help Sri Lanka brand itself as a top adventure tourism destination, a sector which has not yet met its full potential within the country.
The event will be organised by French based ZBO and their local partner Connaissance de Ceylan, which have 35 years of experience within the tourism sector. Connaissance is a company whose aim is to pursue emerging trends whilst preserving the true essence of holidays in relation to Sri Lanka’s rich and long eco-cultural heritage. - SW