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A bonfire during the closing ceremony of this year’s Hornbill Festival at Kisama on Monday.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Dec. 10 (EMN): On the closing day of this year’s Hornbill Festival, Nagaland received a much-needed nod of approval from the Italian Consul General Damiano Francovigh.
Coming from an official of a country ranked among the top five countries visited by international tourists, the consul general was all praise and suggested potential for growth in the tourism sector.
“I came from a faraway country where tourism industry plays a major role in our economy. I have seen many things, dances and cultural heritage which can be of great interests for domestic and foreign tourists,” said Francovigh.
As his closing remarks, he said that the Hornbill festival would only grow bigger to help the state’s economy.
“(I wish) that Hornbill Festival gets more and more successful, attracting many tourists from India and abroad and it becomes one major growth for Naga economy,” he shared.
Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton in his closing speech said: “We had a memorable Hornbill Festival this year with so many VVIPs, friends and tourists from all over the world visiting us and I am sure everyone had a great time.”
Patton said, “The primary aim of this festival is to revive, preserve and protect the rich culture and tradition of the Nagas and to showcase its extravaganza to the world. It is an opportune time for all the visitors to get a closer understanding of the Nagas and its diverse cultural heritage and also to experience Naga food, songs, dances and customs.
“The rich cultural heritage of Nagaland, the land of festivals, has been hidden for centuries to the outside world (sic). However, this Hornbill Festival has served as a window to the people from outside and that they could come to know more about us.”
The entire 17 cultural troupe performed a unity dance to a Konyak’s traditional folksong. Following the tradition, Miss Nagaland 2018 Mewetsho-u Dianu lighted the bonfire along with Koyal Rana, Miss World Asia 2014 and other guests.
According to the Tourism department, the total visitors to this year’s festival were 2,51,701.
