The third Kunming International Tourism Festival opened Wednesday on the site of the 1999 World Horticulture Exposition in the capital of Yunnan Province, southwest China.
This year the festival has shed about 80 redundant activities, while including special entertainment programs such as a carnival,a beer festival, a folk-song festival and some recreational sportscontests, in a bid to upgrade the event and attract tourists.
All the activities are to be staged in 16 prefectures and cities of Yunnan, featuring the cultures and folk customs of localethnic groups.
The festival is jointly organized by China's National Tourism Administration and Yunnan provincial government.
The local government has increased traffic capacity and arranged sufficient board and lodging services to welcome visitorsfrom home and abroad.
Yunnan is home to more than 20 ethnic groups and has many famous tourist attractions.
( People's Daily April 11, 2002)
