Mizoram Tourism Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar chaired a meeting at his office on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming Anthurium Festival.
The three-day festival is scheduled to be held from October 1 to 3 at Reiek and Ailawng. Tourism Minister Hmar said that although the festival is being organised by the Tourism and Horticulture Departments, it is a Government of Mizoram initiative and therefore requires the participation and support of all government departments and the people of Mizoram.
The Minister said that tourism in Mizoram has been growing significantly, with an increasing number of visitors and greater economic activity. He noted that the benefits of tourism reach various sections of society, including shopkeepers, taxi drivers, tea shop owners and the people of Mizoram in general.
He stressed the need for collective efforts to ensure that the Anthurium Festival is organised successfully and attracts as many tourists from outside the state as possible.
Representatives from various government departments, YMA, community leaders from Reiek and Ailawng, the Zo Anthurium Grower Society, the event management team and the Mizo Indigenous Games organising team attended the meeting. The participating organisations reported on the preparations undertaken so far and their respective responsibilities for the festival.
The festival will feature a range of cultural and adventure activities, including trekking, cave exploration at Khuangchera Puk, Thawngpawnga Puk and Ngaitei Puk, shooting competitions and other activities. Children’s recreational areas, visits to flower gardens, demonstrations of various traditional Mizo games and interactive activities for festival visitors are also being planned.
Popular Mizo artistes will perform at Leikapui Night, while a grand concert is planned to mark the closing of the festival.
The meeting also reviewed possible traffic and transportation challenges during the festival. Discussions were held on traffic management and road improvement measures, considering the expected increase in vehicular movement during the festival.
It was also proposed that a travel advisory be issued to inform and advise festival visitors as well as regular travellers using the Reiek route, with the objective of minimising inconvenience and ensuring smooth traffic movement throughout the festival period.
