Newsletter No. 642
News-Analysis
June 8, 2007

 

PAKISTANI WARSHIPS TO VISIT JAPAN

In another sign of warm relations between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Pakistani military, two Pakistani warships, the PNS Moawin and PNS Babur, will visit Japan from June 12th to 15th. Commodore M. Sadiq will be overall commander of the Pakistan Navy vessels during the cruise.

Apparently, this is the second time that Pakistani warships have come to Japan, the only other occasion being in 1983.

JAPAN TO HELP PROMOTE THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN

The News International is reporting that Japan will provide financial and technical assistance to Pakistan for the promotion of the tourism industry in the country.

This message was delivered to the Pakistani authorities about a week ago by Ambassador Seiji Kojima. His offer was summarized as follows:

“Pakistan has diverse natural beauty and many attractive places for foreign tourists that could generate more income… The Northern Areas of Pakistan, the Silk Route, and Gandhara are all prime attractions for Japanese tourists. These areas remained peaceful during the previous year; therefore, his government is reviewing the current travel advisory in favor of travel to the Northern Areas… Pakistani tour operators should highlight this peaceful situation to their Japanese counterparts through websites and emails… Japanese senior citizens, adventure-loving youngsters, and cultural enthusiasts should be attracted through vigorous marketing campaigns by Pakistani tourism organizations… With the current growth in tourism arrivals from Japan, there will be a need to increase flight frequency between Pakistan and Japan, as well as the expansion of domestic flight networks within Pakistan.”

For his part, Salman Javed, managing director of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, requested the assistance of Japanese donor organizations in training Pakistani tourist information officers and marketing professionals by Japanese tourism specialists.