Food festival kicks off in Sauraha

CHITWAN: The 19th edition of the food festival organised by the Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN), Sauraha, Chitwan has kicked off in Chitwan today.

The annual event aims to promote the tourism industry in Chitwan, according to REBAN Chitwan Chair Dhruba Giri. It has been organised in the north to the Sauraha-based Tourist Bus Park.

Bagmati Province Minister for Culture and Tourism, Bimal Thakuri, is scheduled to inaugurate the festival this evening. The fund to be collected from entry fee will be spent for the beautification of a touristic route in Sauraha, it is said.

The festival is expected to boost tourist arrivals by 40 percent during the festival period. It will run till February 14, according to festival coordinator Shambhu Prasad Mali. The festival will feature a cultural exhibition, exhibitions of local culinary, and the organisation of the first REBAN women soccer competition, inter-school dance competition and badminton competition as well.