Over 2,000 foreigners among 1.54L tourists visited Hornbill

Kohima: More than 1.54 lakh people, including foreigners and domestic tourists, visited the picturesque Naga heritage village Kisama where the Hornbill Festival was held.The 10-day gala event, which began on December 1, is an annual tourism promotion programme of the Nagaland government and has been considered as the festival of festivals.The festival witnessed a footfall of 1,54,057 visitors, an increase of 13,758 from the previous year, the state tourism department said.The total includes 1,14,860 locals, 37,089 domestic tourists and 2,108 foreigners, it said.The number of foreign visitors increased by around 100% from 1,026 in 2022 to 2,108 this year.The data also showed that there was a sharp decline of domestic tourists by over 11,000 as the number was at 48,413 in the previous year.The highest footfall at 23,583 was recorded on Sunday, the last day of the festival, while the second biggest turnout was 18,002 on December 3, the tourism department said.The festival has been showcasing Nagaland’s deep-rooted traditions and its rich cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur, an official said.Tourists praised the state government in visitors’ diary at various locations within the vicinity of Kisama, some 12 kilometres from the state capital Kohima.All the tribes of Nagaland take part in the festival, named after the hornbill bird which is present in their folklore.pTI

'Beauty of India lies in her diverse culture, people': Singapore envoy shares pictures from Hornbill festival in Nagaland

Singapore High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, praised the diversity of India and shared pictures from the Hornbill festival in Nagaland. US Ambassador Eric Garcetti expressed enchantment with the cultural extravaganza and mentioned the United States as a partner nation alongside Germany for the festival.

Post-Covid tourist footfalls up, but Goa losing charm among foreigners

Goa has seen a shift in tourist arrivals from international to domestic travelers. The number of international tourists has decreased significantly, while domestic tourist visits have remained steady. In 2018, 70.8 lakh domestic tourists visited Goa, compared to 9.3 lakh foreigners. Last year, 70.1 lakh domestic tourists were recorded, while only 1.7 lakh foreigners visited. The decrease in international arrivals can be attributed to the delayed e-visa roll out for British nationals and conflicts in Ukraine-Russia and Gaza. Goa has faced competition from destinations like Phuket, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Turkey, and Vietnam.

Kashmira Pardeshi found it 'traumatising' to shoot in sea for 'The Freelancer:The Conclusion'

Actress Kashmira Pardeshi recalls a traumatizing scene from 'The Conclusion' where she shot in rough seas during the extraction mission. The water caught them off guard, leaving them mentally unprepared and drenched. The Disney+ Hotstar show, based on 'A Ticket to Syria' by Shirish Thorat and directed by Bhav Dhulia, follows Avinash Kamath on the last leg of his mission. The series, releasing on December 15, also features Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher, Sushant Singh, John Kokken, Gauri Balaji, Navneet Malik, Manjiri Faddnis, and Sarah Jane Dias.