The HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a cuisine festival at the Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11 from May 16 to 19 and a fruit festival at the Suoi Tien Cultural Park in District 9 from June 1 to 12.

Apart from introducing the culture and cuisine specialties of the southern region, the former event will also give visitors a chance to enjoy typical foods of the central coastal and the Central Highland regions.

The programme will also feature many art, entertainment, and sports events.

The fruit festival will see fruit markets and displays of more than 20 craft specialties of the southern region. There will be a fruit parade and a fruit decoration contest besides many art shows.

The festivals are part of the year's tourism stimulus package targeted at domestic travellers.

In the first four months of this year, the city's revenues from tourism topped VND27.1 trillion (US$1.28 billion), representing a 15 per cent year-on-year rise. Half of it was spent by foreign tourists.-VNS