Riding on the success of Nagaland’s celebrated annual vibrant cultural feast — Hornbill Festival — the state’s tourism ministry is gearing up to launch its mini versions every month starting next year.
Nagaland tourism secretary, Nchumbemo Lotha informed FE that the ministry is planning to boost tourism in the state through monthly festivals so as to boost the economy as the tourism sector has huge potential for growth.
“We want people to visit Nagaland not only during the Hornbill Festival but throughout the year. We want to organise festivals on similar lines every month. We are setting up an annual calendar for next year. The ministry is finalising grants to facilitate more accommodations, logistics, and guides to promote tourism. Next year, it will be the 25th anniversary of the festival, so we will also plan the silver jubilee celebrations,” Lotha informed FE.
The modalities including venues and extent of the proposed monthly fixtures are being finalised.
Last year, the festival witnessed a footfall of more than 1.40 lakh visitors including 1,026 foreign tourist arrivals, 48,413 domestic and 90,860 locals. The tourist footfall throughout the year in 2022 was 97,431 (domestic) and 2,923 (foreign). Before the pandemic, the gala event created a record with 2.69 lakh visitors in 2019.
The state collected a whopping revenue of Rs 100 crore from the 10-day festival last year. According to Lotha, the event has so far immensely contributed to the state’s economy.
“Besides, 110 hotels in Dimapur and Kohima, 64 home stays in and around Kohima are sold out during festival dates this year. Given the situation, we are setting up 200 luxury tents to accommodate more visitors,” he added.
The Hornbill Festival will be held during the first ten days of December in Kisama heritage village in Kohima. The festival is a cultural extravaganza that offers a glimpse into the soul of Nagaland with its spectacular display of folklore, arts, and crafts.
The director general of Union tourism ministry Manisha Saxena, who was the chief guest at a prelude to the festival held in the national capital on Friday, said that Hornbill festival has carved a niche as a brand in itself for the state.
“Nagaland in terms of experiences is not only a sustainable and beautiful state but a must-visit for its beauty and simplicity of people,” said Saxena, who has served as principal secretary (tourism) of another northeastern state — Mizoram.
Currently, there are two direct flights from Delhi and one each from Kolkata and Guwahati. Recently, the state government had made a representation before the Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia requesting him to operate five additional flights during the festival.
Nagaland’s tourism and higher education minister Temjen Imna Along told FE that this year’s edition would be much better. “The Nagas are inhabitants of a unique heritage which is not crafted or curated, but it is inborn. Everything about 17 tribes is different: food, dialect, culture, so the showcase is also very unique and different,” said Along, who was also present at the event.
