Saturday, Apr 12, 2025 11:15 [IST]
Last Update: Friday, Apr 11, 2025 18:12 [IST]
NAMCHI, : The 8th ‘Discover Rabong’ Cho-Dzo
fest 2025 commenced on Friday in Cho-Dzo lake premises nearby Rabong Bazaarin
Namchi district. The six-day fest was inaugurated by State Tourism minister
Tshering T. Bhutia in the presence of area MLA Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia and other
dignitaries.
The Cho-Dzo fest, which is
organized annually at a serene surroundings of Cho-Dzo lake aims to promote
tourism potential of Rabong through an array of tourism-based activities. The
exploration and propagation of tourism centric places around Rabong to achieve
larger and sustainable tourism growth with an ensured economic advancement for
the youth and local tourism stakeholders of Barfung constituency are other
goals of the Cho-Dzo fest.
The fest this year features zip
lining, sky cycling, cultural and sporting activities, and food stalls by
different communities of Sikkim.
MLA Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia, in
his introductory speech, shared that the 2025 Cho-Dzo fest is an effort to
revamp the tourism prospective of Rabong and Barfung constituency to ensure sustainable
tourism goal as envisioned by the State government. He added that exploration,
introduction and promotion of places of tourist interestsin the district could
open a floodgate of opportunities in the tourism sector. Bhutia maintained that
tourism has a huge potential to redress the unemployment issues in the State
and to accelerate the greater economic growth. He stressed the need to promote the
tourist places around Barfung constituency along with the preservation of flora
and fauna.
Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia also
announced Rs. 50,000 cash rewards for those conservationists who have been
working to preserve the rare wild fruit 'Gulpho' and ‘Bhalu Aishalu’ (wild
strawberry of a rare variety).The two fruit wereare widely found in Rabong
region in the past decade but are in the verge of extinction.
As part of the festival, the
minister also inaugurated one of its main attractions – the 1st Chief Minister’s
Gold Cup Open Volleyball Tournament. A total of 10 teams from across India are
competing in this tournament.
As many as five matches were
held on the opening day.
