For the first time, amid the global coronavirus pandemic, Nagaland will be taking its 21st edition of the Hornbill Festival to a virtual platform on three national and regional audiovisual news channels.
Hornbill Festival has helped to put the state on the global tourist map. It is a 10-day annual cultural and tourism extravaganza that elaborately showcases the rich and diverse Naga ethnicity through folk dances, traditional music, local cuisine, handicrafts, art, craft workshops highlighting indigenous textiles and designs, among various other Naga experiences.
In his welcome address, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio said that once tourism resumes across the world, Nagaland will be prepared to welcome all tourists keeping the new normal in mind.
Rio further added, “The 10-day event, beginning from December 1 every year, is unique, and like no other festival anywhere else. The festival is a celebration of the Naga tribal way of life, an extravaganza of our rich cultural heritage, that showcases the energy and vibrancy of Naga youth. The festival is today, one of Nagaland’s internationally acknowledged intellectual properties that has successfully propelled Nagaland’s emerging soft power into the global stage, where every Naga is a proud stakeholder.”
The Tourism department had recorded a total of 2,82,811 visitors to its 20th edition of the Hornbill Festival in 2019, which included 3015 foreign tourists and 55,584 domestic tourists.