Kathmandu, September 17 :

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the Nepali embassy in Japan jointly organised a press and tour operators’ meet in Tokyo on September 15 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relationship.

Paras Ghimire, charge d’ affairs and acting ambassador to Japan, reiterated the age-old ties between the two nations and appreciated the support extended by the government of Japan. He said that the Golden Jubilee celebration of the diplomatic ties between both countries would further strengthen relations which will benefit bo-th countries in social and ec-onomic spheres. He also assured the Japanese media and tour operators that Nepal was never unsafe for tourists and recent political development and the peace process would be conducive for tourism industry to grow.

Subash Nirola, director of NTB, acquainted the audience that no single tourist was harmed so far as compared to many other countries at a time of conflict had gone through. He emphasised that this fact itself was enough to assure visiting Japanese tourists that Nepal was safe as any other destination in the world.

Nirola extended an open invitation to media people and tour operators to visit Nepal on a familiarisation tour in order to collect first hand information on Nepal by themselves. He also informed invited guests that tourist arrival figures from Japan rank highest among third country arrivals.

He highlighted the diverse products offered by Nepal through a multimedia presentation and stated that Japan stands as one of the most important tourism source markets for Nepal.