Tourism Festival draws crowds
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 19 2009: Adorned with several stalls show-casing artistic and ornamental pieces, delicious varieties of dishes and food items of different communities and featuring cultural dance, music and traditional games, the ongoing Manipur Tourism Festival 2009 is fairly successful in drawing sizeable crowds.

Visitors to the festival were enthralled by the captivating cultural dances presented this evening at Mapal Kangjeibung.

An exhibition match of Yubi Lakpi underway at Mapal Kangjeibung as a part of the Manipur Tourism Festival held at the historic site

On the eight day of the festival today, an exhibition match of Yubi Lakpi was played in addition to a demonstration on the use of Arambai.

One of the main attraction of the festival is the food stall of Thailand.

The festival is being organised by Tourism Department in association with Nest Advertising, MMTA and other groups with an objective to promote tourism industry in Manipur.

Other events which have succeeded in drawing crowds of visitors in the previous days were the chhow dance and odissi dance.

Tourism Director H Dilip said that even as efforts were made to bring both foreign and national participants in different sections of the festival, necessary arrangements could not be made due time constraint.

Saying that efforts are being made to fix definite dates for the Manipur Tourism Festival, Dilip said the initiative is based on the need to rope in the public for development of tourism rather than the Department working alone.

This year the event of hot-air ballooning has been added.

From next year, inter-district tours may be included, he said and opined that tourism remains a paradox in Manipur as the State is known for its huge tourism potential whereas there are many constraints in the same sector.

Krishna of Nest Advertising, the event manager of the festival claimed that the ongoing festival was only a tip of iceberg.

There are many more to follow the festival, he said.

As a part of the festival, a conclave on border trade and investment will be held.

A para-sailing event will also be organised on April 21 .

Expeditions to Siroy, Kangkhui and Tharon have been already flagged off under the aegis of the MMTA.


//-->