SELLING tickets for this year's Edinburgh International Festival, which has a strong Asian and Oriental theme, has been a challenge, its artistic director has admitted.

Jonathan Mills stressed the programme for the festival -- which opens tomorrow night with Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra -- was accessible and will delight audiences who choose to explore its artists.

He told The Herald: “Ticket sales are very creditable and robust but we are, let’s not forget, in a challenging trading environment, and we are probably adding to that challenge -- and I make no apology for it, we went into this with our eyes wide open -- knowing that this was going to be quite a challenging programme.

“But I would put to you, fair and square, the proposition that an international festival of any stature does not simply exist to provide entertainment for a known audience, but exists to do that while at the same time exciting and encouraging audiences to have an experience they would not otherwise embark upon.

“The importance of this year’s programme is that these are very accessible and powerful ideas, they are very relevant to our lives in many ways, they are exciting and I think people will be bowled over by some of these performers. What I need to encourage people to think about is: don’t be put off by thinking that this is strange, it is a lot less strange than you might think.”

Mr Mills added: “We took into account the fact that there might be some resistance to the ticket sales this year, and I don’t ever say that we have to build ticket sales year on year on year.

“I think we are doing something as important this year, we are building our international credentials in a part of the world where is important to have a relationship within the next 20, 30 years and that is just as important for this festival as the number of tickets we sell at an event.”

He said there was a “small variation” to the ticket sales compared to this time last year, with sales 1% or 2% less than 2010.

The programme includes artists, performers and companies from China, India, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere.

Mr Mills said to potential audience members: “Give yourself the benefit of the doubt: you know these cultures more than you realise.”

He said Asian influences surround us, from design to music, manufacturing and food, and that the audience will find much of the work surprisingly familiar.

“I think it is important to assert that this is a very accessible festival. I think it will reward visits, multiple visits -- the more you delve into it the more you will be rewarded by it and the intensity of the experience will be its own reward,” he said.

“I think that its ever so timely: when I thought about doing this programme five years ago, I didn’t imagine the shape of the world today, which has changed in five years, but I did know that the emerging economies of India and China would be important.”

The 65th Edinburgh International Festival opening Schumann concert is led by conductor Sir Roger Norrington, and includes the 100-strong Festival Chorus, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and soloists, including Susan Gritton and Lydia Teuscher.

A few tickets for the opening night are still available.

Other major productions include National Ballet of China’s Peony Pavilion and Mokwha Theatre Company’s version of Shakespeare’s Tempest, a one-man King Lear at the Lyceum and Philip Glass’s debut at the Playhouse.

Other artists include the Chinese choreographer Shen Wei.

The EIF is this year promoting £8 tickets, available to those aged 26 or under in addition to the existing 50% discount for people aged under 18, students in full time education, senior citizens, unemployed people and people with a disability.