Kathmandu, October 5:

Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), Regional Chapter Pokhara is organising the 1st Annapurna International Food Festival to promote domestic and international to-urism from October 14 to 17 in Pokhara. The four-day long festival is the first of its kind to be organised in Pokhara, in which a wide range of traditional, local as well as international food items will be served, said Hari Gurung, president of HAN, Pokhara. The event is a part of ‘Jaun Hai Pokhara’ campaign laun-ched by HAN-Pokhara two years ago to promote tou-rism after international tou-rist arrivals started declining.

The upcoming food festival will have food items from India, China, Pakistan, Bang-ladesh, Japan, Mala-ysia, Sri Lanka, Italy, Mexico and Spain along with Nepali traditional kitchen like Newari, Thakali and continental. Local hotels, resorts and resta-urants based in Pokhara are taking part in the event. “A unique part of the event is that chefs for international foods have been invited from their respective countries of origin,” said Gurung, adding that international chefs are being brought here in Pokhara with the help of embassies in Kathmandu. Bishwo Shanker Palikhe, ex-president of HAN-Pokh-ara, envoys of India, Britain, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Korea, Russia and Malaysia will jointly inaugurate the fair.