ANSWER: Meghalaya
Explanation:
Meghalaya has become the first state to deliver India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival, widely celebrated in Japan
- The 4 day festival will showcase the beauty of pink and white cherry blossoms and the traditional arts and culture of the state
- Chief Minister Mukul Sangma inaugurated the first Cherry Blossom festival in Shillong
- This is appreciated in partnership with the Institute of Bio resources and sustainable development for joint conceptualisation of Meghalaya as a major tourist destination
- IBSD is a national institute of the centre’s Department of Biotechnology
- Cherry Blossom Festival is also called Sakura Festival in Japan
- It is held in April every year
- The other countries which celebrate this festival include Australia, Korea, China and the US
- The Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival generates USD 126 million each year
- The festival will set the stage for 2017 in India, which has been declared by the UN as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development