Chengdu serves up food and tourism festival

The 10th China (Chengdu) International Food & Tourism Festival will be held in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, from Sunday to Oct 7.

The annual event has developed into a major showcase of Sichuan cuisine.

This year's event, the biggest ever, has attracted more than 600 enterprises.

The central venue is located in the International Non-Material Cultural Heritage Garden in the city's Qingyang district. There are also secondary venues in 11 areas, including Kuanzhai Alley and Jinli Ancient Street.

During the festival the organizers will arrange a variety of special events, such as gourmet selection, food culture exhibitions, a food summit and online attractions.

Chengdu was awarded the title "Gastronomic Capital" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2010. It is the first Asian city to win such an honor.

The city is speeding up its internationalization by hosting major events, like the Fortune Global Forum 2013 and the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention.

The festival this year will bring together food from countries, including Italy, Spain, Thailand, India and South Korea.