Kohima, Dec 7: The 26th edition of the Hornbill Festival has attracted 1,13,667 visitors in the first six days, Nagaland government said in a statement on Sunday.
According to data, domestic and local tourists formed the bulk of the visitors, while foreign tourist turnout remained steady.
The total footfall included 1,645 foreigners, 28,637 domestic tourists and 83,385 local visitors.
Saturday had the highest turnout at 22,786 visitors, including 205 foreigners, 5,792 domestic tourists and 16,789 locals.
The first day of the festival had 22,508 visitors, followed by 18,010 on the second day, 15,324 on the third, 15,753 on the fourth, and 19,286 on the fifth day.
Organisers said the numbers are expected to rise further as the 10-day festival continues to draw visitors from across India and abroad.
On Sunday, the 18 tribes of Nagaland continued to showcase their rich culture and traditions to thousands of attendees.
Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton served as host, while Advisor and MLA Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome was co-host. Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology S. Krishnan and Spotify Head of Music and Podcast India, Bhuvank Vaidya, attended as special guests.
Being a Christian dominated state, the festival on Sunday also celebrated Advent Christmas under the aegis of Nagaland Legislators’ Christian Fellowship and the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum (NJCF).
In his address, Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang called for renewed unity among Nagas while warning that growing divisions among various groups—both overground and underground—are hindering progress and could push the state toward instability and lawlessness without divine intervention.
Drawing from the message of Christmas, Zeliang said the nativity story reflects people from diverse backgrounds coming together in hope. He praised the NJCF for promoting unity across denominations and urged that the spirit of togetherness extend into all spheres of society.
Rev. Moses Murry, NJCF secretary, extended warm Christmas greetings and expressed gratitude to God, the CM, and all organisers for enabling the celebration.
