From a Correspondent
New Delhi, Oct 16,
Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director of Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), invited the people of India and the international community to visit Shillong, Meghalaya and enjoy the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018. It is the World’s only Autumn Cherry Blossom Festival, which will be held during 14-17 November 2018. Addressing the media persons at the Press Club of India, New Delhi, they said, you can enjoy the full Cherry Blossom view at Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, which will be in full bloom during November with pink and white Cherry Blossoms all along the roadside and the famous Ward’s Lake.
Sahoo in his welcome address also mentioned that the Cherry Blossom Festival generates huge employment and revenues for various cities and countries as lakhs of visitors from different parts of the world come to Japan, New Zealand and parts of Korea to witness the Cherry Blossom. In Washington DC alone, festival typically brings more than 1.5 million visitors and brings in $400 million in revenue every year. He also mentioned that the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2017, which was celebrated to mark the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development attracted more than one lakh visitors and boosted the local economy by 300%.
Shri Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, also lauded this initiative of IBSD and said this was another way to deepen and strengthen the connections with the Government of Japan through the exposition of the Japanese cultural events and cuisine, as the Embassy of Japan in India has come in as a strategic partner.
The India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 will celebrate the unique mass flowering of autumn Himalayan Cherry Blossoms with several cultural events at Shillong, Meghalaya. Visitors can enjoy fashion shows, rock concerts, beauty pageant and even compete in an amateur Golf tournament. Alongside, there will be stalls showcasing the region’s food, arts and crafts and several Japanese cultural events and a Japanese Food Pavilion in partnership with the Embassy of Japan in India.
