68th Frankfurt Book Fair kicks off

FRANKFURT, Oct.18 (Xinhua) -- The 68th Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest trade fair for books, kicked off with an opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Thousands of publishing companies from all over the world have gathered at the annual cultural event for publishing rights negotiation and communication.

A new initiative called "Arts+" will become this year's highlight. It will be a forum to exchange creative contents and act as a think tank for innovative business models in culture and creative industry, according to Juergen Boos, director of the book fair.

This year's guest of honor is the Netherlands and Belgium's Flanders, and Dutch literature will be specifically introduced and promoted in the coming five days.

Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern region of Belgium. Members of the royal families from the Netherlands and Belgium attended Tuesday's opening ceremony.

This year's fair will last till October 23.