Myoko festival attract record number of foreign tourists

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITAGAR, March 28: Myoko festival of the Apatani community has this year facilitated the state government to earn more than Rs.6.8 lakhs as royalty fee from overseas tourists who visited Ziro during the festival, informed Duyu Tamo, general secretary of Aruchal Pradesh Tour Operations Association (APTOA) and proprietor Duyu Tours & Travels.

Myoko is one of the most unique festivals of the world with series of interesting ritual events that start with Sama piniing on March 19. Tamo who is working silently through his agency DTT for last 12 years to promote the Myoko festival of Apatani community for intertiol tourists, has collaborated with Diamir Travel Agency of Germany and Joafar Tour of Australia and tiol travel agencies like Jungle Travel Assam, Local Roots Delhi etc.

Home Stays, hotels and resorts in Ziro valley were packed with tourists during celebration of Myoko festival, said Tamo.

Most of the overseas tourists have expressed their interest to visit the state again to participate during Myoko festival in near future and to document the ritual events. They appreciated the preservation of all those ritual ceremonies as it were performed with origility.

They also specifically mentioned of the hospitality that the guests are receiving from hosts during the festival.

Tamo shared that age old festivals of Aruchal like Myoko, Dree, Solung, Nyokum, Mopin etc. are promoted instead of the temporary organised festivals for making Aruchal a tourist hotspot. In local festivals, every individual of a tribe involves directly which makes the event more interesting. If government focuses on such festivals, tourist inflow in the state will increase manifold and festivals will become a money spinning event, he added.