From an aircraft livery to a cinematic rollout, Nagaland scales up promotion ahead of Hornbill Festival
With the Hornbill Festival days away, Nagaland has launched an unprecedented promotional drive, from launching a Boeing aircraft wrapped in a Tsungkotepsu warrior shawl to releasing a travel-adventure film signalling a State eager to position itself on the national tourism map.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio flagged off Air India Express’s newly inducted Boeing 737-8 at Dimapur Airport, its exterior bearing the traditional shawl design. Calling the launch “a significant step in enhancing connectivity, showcasing Nagaland to the rest of the country and the world, and boosting tourism, cultural exchange, and economic growth,” Rio described the partnership as an effort that “combines corporate partnership and nation-building.”
The campaign extends beyond the aircraft. A selfie point and Hornbill-themed photobooth have been set up at Dimapur Airport, along with a community art canvas at the Kisama Heritage Village. The airline also announced a 15% discount on bookings to or from Dimapur made by December 10, 2025, for travel up to December 15, 2025, using the promo code ‘HORNBILL’.
Managing Director Aloke Singh said the Tsungkotepsu livery reflects “the state’s creativity, energy, and cultural pride,” adding, “We look forward to welcoming guests from across India to explore Nagaland and participate in the Hornbill Festival.”
Air India Express operates daily flights connecting Dimapur to Guwahati, with one-stop onward connectivity from Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Patna. The flights between Dimapur and New Delhi has a short layover with no aircraft change at Guwahati. Across the Northeast region, the airline connects Guwahati with 126 weekly flights, Agartala with 21 weekly flights, Imphal with 21 weekly flights, and Dibrugarh with 14 weekly flights.
In Kohima on the same day, Advisor to the Chief Minister Abu Metha launched Dreamz Unlimited’s new travel-adventure film at the Directorate of IPR — a fictional story of a missing tourist that doubles as promotion for the State. Drawing a comparison with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, he said, “We hope this film will similarly inspire travelers to explore Nagaland,” adding that “innovation, creativity, and strong storytelling can take these experiences to the world.”
Director of Dreamz Unlimited Tiakumzuk said the team’s goal was not only to entertain but to showcase Nagaland’s beauty through a story audiences can emotionally connect with. The launch was attended by the Dreams Unlimited team, Director IPR Dzüvinuo Theünuo, and Advisor TAFMA Theja Meru.
International participation will continue this year with a mix of returning and newly added partner countries, including the UK, Malta, Switzerland and France, as was reported earlier.
Individually, the developments are positive; together, they form a coordinated pre-Hornbill push not seen in previous years. But the pattern raises a familiar concern: what happens once the festival ends?
For years, tourism in Nagaland has spiked during December and dropped just as sharply once festival lights go out. Connectivity remains limited outside Dimapur, accommodation capacity is uneven across districts, and most promotional efforts centre around Kisama rather than a year-round model that distributes economic benefit.
If the goal is sustained tourism, initiatives like the Tsungkotepsu livery and the Dreams Unlimited film need to be part of a framework that includes improving intra-state transport and last-mile access, developing district-level tourism circuits, supporting local entrepreneurs beyond seasonal demand, and building cultural experiences that function outside festival dates.
As published earlier by this newspaper, according to a study conducted by The Highland Institute (Kohima) and the French Institute of Pondicherry, nearly 45% of visitors to Kohima come primarily for the Hornbill Festival, with the rest trickling in for trekking and nature-based travel. Researchers noted that this concentration of visitors in December strains infrastructure and limits economic opportunities for the remaining eleven months.
While visitor satisfaction is generally high, the report highlighted recurring issues with transport, accommodation and waste management during peak season. It also observed that the hospitality sector has expanded rapidly, with 75% of establishments set up after 2014, yet remains dominated by small, uncoordinated enterprises.
Outside December, Kohima receives fewer but longer-staying travellers, often between five and eight days, particularly trekkers and nature enthusiasts. Yet this potential remains largely untapped, with investment and publicity focused almost entirely on the Hornbill brand and Kisama Heritage Village. Even high-value sites such as Dzükou Valley, Mt Japfü and Khonoma continue to draw visitors without proportional attention.
For local vendors and artisans, particularly women, the study pointed to ongoing challenges such as cramped stalls, poor sanitation and limited structural support at the festival venue, benefits that are short-lived and dependent on annual state spending.
The study recommended creating a coordinating tourism council to plan beyond the festival season, alongside a shift toward “high-value, low-volume” tourism and long-term investment in basic services, including waste and traffic management.
Nagaland has no shortage of appeal landscapes, food, and living traditions that extend beyond curated performances. This year’s aggressive pre-Hornbill momentum shows what coordinated effort can achieve. Whether it becomes a turning point will depend on what is built after the crowds leave and the festival lights go out.
