Opening ceremonies April 10 will be attended by more than 3,000 government officials, business people, and journalists from over 40 countries and regions as well as over a dozen provinces and cities. They will be among those who witness a flag-raising ceremony by the military band of the General Team of the Armed Police in Yunnan. The band will also play a new composition -- ?Heading for the Same Future? -- in honor of the wide-range of ethnic groups represented in Yunnan. Of the 56 ethnic groups in China, 51 can be found in Yunnan.

The evening of opening day of the festival will feature a stage performance lasting some 80-90 minutes with such well-known artists as Yunnan-born Yang Liping, Zongyong Zhuoma and Yin Xiumei.

In a report Sunday to a meeting of Improving and Regulating the Provincial Tourism Market -- Shao Qiwei, vice governor of Yunnan, told the group that relevant government organizations had paid special attention to safety measures in regard to this year?s Kunming festival.

Meanwhile, in a year devoted to improving tourism in municipalities rated ?excellent tourism cities? -- like Kunming -- Yunnan has moved beyond Kunming and other famous cities like Dali, Jinghong and Ruili, to designate other tourist attractions like Lijiang, Diqing, Honghe and Qujing as key cities. These are cities where enhancements like standardized bathrooms and information centers will be implemented for the tourist market.

Following opening ceremonies April 10, the following activities are scheduled for the main staging area of the Third China Kunming International Tourism Festival: