Kohima, Oct 3 (UNI) Nagaland government is gearing up to organise the 22nd edition of the Hornbill Festival to be celebrate at The Heritage Village at Kisama, 10 kms east of Kohima, from December 1 after a gap of one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was announced by Adviser of Tourism and Art & Culture H Khehovi Yeputhomi at the Directorate of Tourism at Kohima and thanked the Naga Hohos for their participation that had helped in successful hosting of the festival so far.
He said track record of the festival has been very successful since it started in the year 2000 and the Hornbill Festival has garnered global recognition with a recorded tourist footfall of over three lakh from all over the world.
He referred to the dilapidated condition of 17 Morungs (dormitories) at The Heritage Village and urged the respective Hohos to make necessary arrangements to renovate the same soon. He called for completing all renovation works before November 15 so that other activities could be taken up subsequently.
He said Rs 75 crore was generated collectively by entrepreneurs and other participants during the Hornbill Festival in 2019, which he claimed helped boost the State’s economy.

Highlighting the importance of getting vaccinated, he said vaccination had nothing to do with politics or religion, but was only for public safety. He warned that not getting vaccinated might become an obstacle for both participants and visitors, which could affect the successful hosting of the festival.

The Adviser informed the meeting that Nagaland would also be hosting International Tourism Mart (ITM) alongside the festival this year.
He said 500 guests, both foreigners and domestic delegates, were expected to attend the ITM, which would be held from November 28 to 30.
UNI AS RNJ