It requires an intentional process that begins by asking - Why and culminating with Why Not?
The 23rd annual Hornbill Festival, also known as the Festival of Festivals, is currently underway. Much to the delight of tourists and to the amusement of locals, this is the one time that Nagaland government machinery predictably comes fully awake and alive with resolve and purpose. Despite the superficial makeover and band-aid approach, they do succeed in putting up quite a show. While the Hornbill Festival seems to have become a model for other festivals in the region to emulate, its critical assessment is needed beneath the myriad of colours, the rhythmic chants, the dancing feet and the explosion of aromatic delicacies. This festival is still struggling to rise above being defined as a calendar event.
Even after more than two decades the Festival of Festival continues to remain financially dependent on the state’s exchequer. Observers have speculated that by this point the Hornbill Festival should be self-generating, self-reliant and completely supported by investors and communities. Yet, the absolute dependency on state resources raises questions about the Festival’s general fiscal viability and its ability to generate revenue that will benefit the community as a whole. Other issues are about structuring and managing events. Sadly, over time, the Festival has become predictable and monotonous. The Hornbill Festival needs to be reimagined by examining it through a new lens using some analysis, creativity and strategic planning.
Reimagining the Hornbill Festival is an intentional process that begins by asking Why and covering a spectrum of ideas which culminates in Why Not. The post COVID world and the rapidly changing climatic and environmental conditions present an opportune time for the Nagaland government to engage in a process of discernment to transform the Festival so that it genuinely values, honours and represents the people and the land.
Today, tourism is one of the world's largest industries However, unlike other industries, it is difficult to define the tourism industry. Statista says this is because “there is not one clear product.” The tourist trade involves one of the largest scale movements of goods, services, and people in history. The United Nations World Tourism Organization defines tourism as “a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which involve tourism expenditure.” Statista says tourism in its broadest sense is defined as “when people travel and stay in places outside of their usual environment for less than one consecutive year for leisure, business, health, or other reasons.”
Since, tourism is a wide-ranging industry which includes hospitality, services, transport, and other additional sectors, the Nagaland government needs a comprehensive and consolidated approach to interweave the various components that form the foundational structure of a tourism system. For places like Nagaland, basic infrastructures such as the roadways, transport, water and electricity must be the priority. The other essentials can be built upon these foundations.
Experience has demonstrated that the concept of tourism in Nagaland is primarily centered around a unique experience and geography. Indigenous Tourism is the natural direction for the Nagaland government to take. This means the government needs to intentionally invest in human resources, develop Indigenous knowledge, conserve Indigenous cultural and natural resources, and strengthen community institutions as a way of developing Indigenous Tourism in Nagaland. This will create a synergistic dynamic in which the people and community benefits, while making it possible for them to give back through their culture, traditions and knowledge in respectful ways, not through commodification and stereotyping of a Naga image.
Indigenous Tourism has the potential to make Nagaland unique. This will, however, require a changing philosophy, new thinking and a new imagination of not just the Hornbill Festival, but the government’s tourism policy. After all, Indigenous Tourism is about respecting land and people, harnessing positive energy, celebrating cultures, discovering, engaging and making connections that transcend borders and boundaries and creating experiences that are life changing. Hence, why not?
