Shanghai Food Festival and Tourism Promotion kicked off in New York on Monday, aiming to attract more US tourists to Shanghai by introducing its unique and spectacular culinary culture.

Themed Eat, Love, Shanghai, the three-day event is being held at Macy's flagship store in New York. It features a free taste of signature Shanghai dishes including steamed soup dumplings, green sticky rice balls and savory mooncakes, as well as classes teaching visitors how to make them.

The activity was co-sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, Macy's, Marriott International, China Eastern Airlines, American Airline, and the Shanghai Spring Tour Company.

"It's wonderful that we're partnering with Shanghai to offer this global cross-cultural connection to let people come and experience all of the best of Shanghai," said Keri Hanson, director of international tourism marketing at Macy's.

"Great food is always an integral part of a city's charm as tastes and flavors define its character. The event is part of our overall effort to expand tourism among New Yorkers and we hope to introduce more in-depth tour products and experiences to encourage more US tourists to visit Shanghai and stay longer," Wang Jing, deputy division chief of the public service department of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, said.

In 2016, the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration and NYC & Company jointly announced that the two cities had formed a city-to-city tourism partnership to promote tourism in both cities.

The Eat, Love, Shanghai promotional event was a key event to mark the second anniversary of the partnership between the two cities.

The US is Shanghai's second largest source of international visitors.

In 2017, the city welcomed 737,500 US tourists.