Flying Festival and Hospitality Expo 2025 kicks off in Junga

Junga Valley is filled with colorful human birds.
Junga (Shimla). The third edition of the Shimla Flying Festival and Hospitality Expo 2025 (Pre-World Cup and Pre-Asian League) kicked off with a bang in Junga on Saturday, filling the entire Junga valley with a vibrant display of colorful human beings. Naresh Chauhan, Principal Media Advisor to the Chief Minister, formally inaugurated the event and flagged off the pilots to their destinations. More than 59 international paragliding pilots from seven countries are participating in this four-day flying festival and hospitality expo, including one from China, four from Nepal, four from Malaysia, one from Spain, and one from Germany. The remaining paragliders are from ten states across India. Additionally, more than 50 hospitality brands and MSME investors have set up stalls.
Naresh Chauhan stated that the Flying Festival and Hospitality Expo will give Junga a new international identity, boosting tourism in the region and providing self-employment opportunities for locals. He also visited the stalls of investors from various states and local self-help groups at the Flying Festival.
DFO MSME, Solan, A.K. Gautam, said, “The Ministry of MSME’s approval of the SFF Hospitality Expo 2025 for this festival in Junga is a significant achievement. The Expo is the region’s first platform to bring together stakeholders from hospitality, adventure tourism, wellness, food and beverage, organic products, handicrafts, and travel services. The festival aims to restore tourism’s former vibrancy and strengthen the entire tourism and hospitality ecosystem.”
Welcoming the chief guest, Arun Rawat, Director of the Shimla Flying Festival, said that the Flying Festival was started in the year 2023 and due to positive results, this year it is being celebrated as Pre-World Cup and Pre-Asian League. Fifty-nine pilots from seven countries are participating in it.
He stated that startups, MSMEs, and self-help groups have been given special priority at this expo, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their products. He added that general category entrepreneurs are entitled to an 80 percent discount on stall fees, while stalls for SC, ST, and women entrepreneurs are provided free of charge.
Chief Minister’s OSD Saurabh Chauhan, Chairman of State Food Commission Dr. SP Katyal, Chairman of APMC Shimla Kinnaur, Zilla Parishad member Santosh Sharma, Tehsildar Junga Narayan Singh Verma, SDO PWD Department Devesh Thakur, Medical Incharge of Civil Hospital Junga Dr. Manoj Verma and officers of various departments were present.
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Aman Thapa from Nepal reached Junga for the third time.
Aman Thapa from Nepal, winner of the last two Flying Festivals, has come to participate in the festival for the third time. Aman Thapa has been practicing paragliding in Junga for the last one week so that this year too he has set a target of coming first in the Flying Festival. He says that he started paragliding at the age of ten and now he is 25 years old. During the last 15 years, he has participated in paragliding at many places including Kangra’s Bir Billing, Mizoram, Kerala, Dharamshala, Nepal, Bilaspur.
Yangchin of China in Junga for the first time
International paragliding champion Yang Jin of China is participating in the Shimla Flying Festival for the first time. He was delighted to see the natural beauty of the Junga valleys. He said that this is his first opportunity to participate in this festival, and he is grateful to the organizing committee for this opportunity.