SHILLONG: While stating Cherry Blossom festival as one of the greatest aspects to promote tourism, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the festival will attract explorers to the State.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of India International Cherry Blossom Festival at Polo on Wednesday, the chief minister also said people can only guesstimate with regard to the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms.
“The trees have blossomed three weeks earlier. We can witness 70 per cent of the Cherry Blossom. It will be a great opportunity for the scientists and other people to study the aspect,” he said.
The peculiar nature of this tree provides an opportunity for scientists and other interested people to study mostly pink and sometimes white Cherry Blossoms.
It may be mentioned that leaves have already come up in most of the Cherry Blossom trees while pink Cherry Blossoms can be seen in some parts.
Last year, it was seen that the trees blossomed after the festival was over in November.
On the Meghalaya and Japan collaboration, Sangma said, “We are looking forward to a long term as well as short term and medium collaboration with the government of Japan, building on the commonality of the remarkable tree which binds the two countries and make the state of Meghalaya and Japan, the home of unique benediction of nature.”
According to him, the relationship between the state and Japan is far beyond the Cherry Blossom festival while the event will ensure that the relationship grows in the future.
He added there is a push by the NEC and the Central Government to ensure that tourism in the North East develops as whole.
“There is a programme where the government of India is trying to connect different aspects of culture, different circuits in the Northeastern region and trying to project NE as a tourism destination as a whole,” he said.
