ISLAMABAD: The three-day Islamabad Tourism Festival ITF21, which opened on Friday, brought with it excitement of paragliding, vintage car show, music and plenty of food.

While paragliding, accuracy landing and wingsuit flying will be the regular features of the festival, Aima Baig’s concert and digital fireworks were the main highlights on Saturday night.

The festival is designed to showcase different air shows and adventure sports like paragliding, accuracy landing, wingsuit flying, trike flying, and power paragliding as part of the field marshal paragliding championship.

It will be an eye-catching event as colourful paragliders from around the world will float in the skies of Islamabad. The event was coloured with vintage cars and bike roadshows, horse parades, corporate and educational expos, an arena for children and a food court besides live concerts.“Islamabad is one of the most beautiful cities. Wide, tree-lined streets adorn the various sectors and zones of the city, guarded by the magnificent Margalla Hills making it more spectacular. It is a city bestowed with natural magnificence and landscape, diverse culture, astounding arts and crafts, luxurious cuisine and extraordinary music that needs to be shared with the world,” said Rabiia Amin, one of the organisers.

To acknowledge its beauty, Pakistan Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (PHPA) in collaboration with Cutting Edge Group have planned the festival that encompasses a wide range of events,

The event is a refreshing break from the menace of Covid-19 and brought back the festivities to the lives of the residents of the capital, providing them with a reason to cherish their beautiful city, she added.

The event has been designated with the slogan of “Celebrating Islamabad”, which reflects the dream behind the design showcasing one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Provincial tourism boards, hospitality sector and the travel trade are also being showcased in the mega event.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2021