A cultural showcase to tourism drive: A trend analysis on Hornbill Festival of Nagaland since 2010
V.T. Vasagan & Meyisangla Longkumer
Abstract
This study presents a longitudinal analysis of tourism growth associated with the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, an annual cultural event organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of Nagaland, from December 1 to 10. Conceived as a platform to preserve indigenous traditions while promoting tourism, the festival showcases the cultural diversity, agrarian heritage, and socio-religious values of the Naga tribes and attracts visitors from local, national, and international contexts. The study is based exclusively on secondary data obtained from the official records of the Directorate of Tourism, Nagaland. Tourist arrivals were categorized into local, domestic, and foreign visitors, compiled based on tickets issued at the festival venue. Covering a fifteen-year period from 2010 to 2025, the data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and presented through tables and graphical representations. Growth rate analysis was employed to examine year-wise changes in tourist inflow. The findings reveal a substantial expansion in tourist inflow, with total arrivals increasing from 28,282 in 2010 to 214,493 in 2025, indicating nearly eightfold growth, with an average annual growth rate of about 40 percent. Local tourists showed strong participation, while domestic arrivals reflected growing national appeal. Foreign tourist arrivals, though smaller in volume, recorded a notably high growth rate, indicating rising international interest. The study is limited to tourism during the festival period and excludes off-season tourist flows. Based on the findings, the paper recommends targeted policy interventions, including selective relaxation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) norms during the festival, enhanced promotional strategies, infrastructure upgrades, improved transport and accommodation facilities, and strengthened digital tourism platforms to ensure sustainable tourism development in Nagaland.
Keywords
Naga culture, cultural festivals. festival tourism, domestic tourism, foreign tourism
Author information & Contribution
V.T. Vasagan. Professor, Department of Management Studies, St. Joseph University, Chumukedima, Nagaland. Email: vasant75@ymail.com
Meyisangla Longkumer. Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Kohima College, Kohima, Nagaland. Email: asangla.longkr4@gmail.com
"Both authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. Both read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not Applicable
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The authors declare the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing this paper. In particular, the authors used ChatGPT, Grammarly and Plagiarism Checker X in searching appropriate literature, summarizing key points and paraphrasing ideas at minimum level. The author takes full responsibility in ensuring proper review and editing of contents generated using AI.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Vasagan, V.T. & Longkumer, M. (2026). A cultural showcase to tourism drive: A trend analysis on Hornbill Festival of Nagaland since 2010. Journal of Hospitality, Tourism & Cultural Research, 2(1), 44-70. https://doi.org/10.53378/jhtcr.353338
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