Hanoi (VNA) -Preparations for the upcoming 8th Da Lat Flower Festival were underway andwould be completed by November 30, according to officials.

Themed ‘Da Lat and Flowers’, thebiennial festival will take place from December 20-24 in the CentralHighland province of Lam Dong. It will include various cultural,art and tourism shows to promote the city’s image as the land of flowers.

The board announced at a pressconference last week in Hanoi that this year’s event would include 12 uniqueprogrammes, nine of which would be held in Da Lat City including theopening ceremony.

They will be accompaniedby performances on large, 3D stages featuring local landscapes suchas Xuan Huong Lake and Cu Hill. They promise to have a specialimpression on visitors.

Flowers displays will be set upin central areas and five flower villages in Da Lat, aiming to convey messagesabout a "gentle, elegant and hospitable" city that is"safe, civilised and friendly.

A report from the organiserssaid Da Lat was a famous tourist destination, attracting visitors all yearround, especially during cultural and tourism events, so regulations inthis area must receive attention.

Details of services and pricesshould be mandatory, according to the report.

“If violations are discovered,authorities respond immediately,” the report said.

Da Lat currently has about 24,000hotel and guest rooms, catering for about 70,000 visitors per day.  

The board has also implementedpromotions focusing on improving local awareness of environmentalprotection and social security during the festival, stressing the need toprevent littering during and after the event.

It appealed to tourismagencies and companies to ensure visitors enjoy their time in the city bypreventing overcharging and protecting the environment.

The highlight of the festivalwill be a Lam Dong Tea and Silk Culture Week to be organised in in Bao Loc district.

Ton Thien San, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Da Lat city and headof the festival’s organising board, said: “This will be theeighth festival Da Lat has hosted, and it's becomingknown as the first festival city in Vietnam. It's helped tocreate great economic value and boosted the city’s tourismdevelopment, honouring local horticulturists and encouraging theflower industry to grow.”

“Over the years, the city’seconomy has grown by more than 10 percent annually. The festival hasattracted an increasing number of visitors. Last year alone, the city welcomed6 million tourists while its population is between just 25,000 and 30,000people,” said San.

Lam Dong province has a totalarea of 3,450ha of flower plantations for domestic use andglobal exports, with an output of 1 billion items per year.

In Da Lat city alone, about 5,000households and more than 30 enterprises are engaged in supplying differentspecies of flowers including roses, mimosa and orchids.

The Da Lat Flower Festivalhas been held every two years since 2005. It is regarded as anexclusive event that attracts large numbers of Vietnamese and foreigntourists./.