KARACHI: The Central Commerce Minister, Mr Wahiduzzaman, yesterday urged the countries of the ECAFE [UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East] region to benefit from the acceleration of travel towards the orient. Inaugurating the ECAFE-sponsored Study Week on Promotion of Tourism, in the old Assembly building, the Commerce Minister said, it … seems imperative that we forestall the expected increase in tourist traffic to our countries by developing tourist facilities to our best capacity.

He, however, added that due regard “has to be given to the importance of market surveys, statistics, removal of traffic barriers and promotion, which are all important factors in the development of tourism”. The Study Week … is being attended by 11 ECAFE region countries as well as by representatives from the Soviet Union, the UK, the USA, international travel organisations and the International Chambers of Commerce.

Earlier, before the Commerce Minister opened the week, messages from President Mohammad Ayub Khan and the Governors of the two Wings of Pakistan were read out. Mr Wahiduzzaman [said] … tourism is one of the biggest single foreign exchange earning industries in some of the developed countries. It would therefore be logical to devise a framework of co-operation by which all the ECAFE countries pool together their experience and resources for the promotion of international travel to the area as a whole. —Agencies