Concerns arise about commercialization and overtourism in Bir.

• Bir, now known as India’s ‘Paragliding capital’, has seen a significant increase in paragliding activity over the past 10-15 years.
• The village hosted the Asian edition of the 2024 Paragliding World Cup from November 2 to 9.
• The Paragliding World Cup Association and the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department supported the event.
• Bir has become a hotspot for paragliders in India, with 8,000 to 10,000 tourists visiting daily.
• The Billing Paragliding Association (BPA) reports that there are around 400 hotels catering to the paragliding community and around 300 cafes on the streets.
• Despite the risks, there are about 1,400 tourists taking tandem flights daily in Bir.
• Alisha Katoch, the first woman pilot to represent India in landing accuracy, is a testament to the growth of the paragliding industry.
• Katoch is currently being mentored free of cost at a training academy in Maharashtra and returns to Bir to practice in a familiar zone.
• The Paragliding Association of India (BPA) in Bir, India, has been a hub for paragliding since the 1984 Paragliding World Cup.
• The association’s president, Anurag Sharma, emphasizes the importance of rescue and retrieval, with at least 50 ambulances deployed and two helicopters on standby.
• Participants from 26 countries took off from a hill 18 km from the landing site, with some completing the task in three hours and others in two hours and seven minutes.
• Bir, a small hill village, has become a commercial hub for the sport, with hang gliding beginning in 1984 and paragliding introduced in 1994.
• The landing site, once a farmland, was sold to the government for ₹11 lakh.
• A tandem ride can cost between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000, with pilots keeping around ₹1,000 per ride. The rest is given to companies that own the equipment and train the pilots.
• Despite the high-risk nature of paragliding, measures are in place to keep the number of paragliding schools or companies in check.
• The locals estimate there are 800 pilots giving rides, with 380 registered pilots and 800 pilots reportedly giving rides.