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K-2 first ascent: year-long celebrations to mark 60th anniversary launched

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K-2 first ascent: year-long celebrations to mark 60th anniversary launched

Italian technical expert, Gallo Maurizio, associated with a committee which assists mountaineers in Hindu Kush, Karakorum, Himalaya region, on Wednesday urged the foreign tourists to visit Pakistan, which is a safe destination for international tourists.

"We've been working for the last 30 years in Gilgit-Baltistan, we have no security concern and security has been increased significantly in the recent years," Gallo stated this while talking to Business Recorder on the eve of celebrating the 1st Ascent of the K-2 Peak. Gallo, who is associated with Ev-K2-CNR, is an Italian non-profit association which promotes scientific and technological research in mountain, stated that a five-member group of mountaineers would be departing for K-2 peak, the second highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, during this summer 2014.

To a question, he said that around 10 to 20 foreign mountaineers had cancelled their scheduled trip to Pakistan following the last year terrorists' attack in which more than 10 foreign mountaineers were killed. Earlier, speaking at a news conference to launch the year-long celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the K-2 first ascent by the Italian expedition in 1954, Agostino Da Poenza, world's one of the top mountaineers and the president Ev-K2-CNR said that K-2 is the best brand that Pakistan should market globally to promote adventure tourism, it would bring not only forex to strengthen Pakistan's economy but would also promote the country's soft image.

Raffaele Del Cima, director SEED, a climate research and mountain development project under the framework of Pakistan-Italy Debt-for-Development Swap Agreement (PIDSA), Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Secretary Tourism Gilgit-Batistan, Khadim Hussain, Secretary Forests and Wildlife Gilgit-Baltistan, Amjad Ayub, president Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO) and Munir Ahmed, climate communication expert were also present on the occasion.

Da Polenza said Italians had over a century-old love for the land, people and culture of the Karakorum on the Pakistan side. "Climbing up the K-2 peak is always a dream for the mountaineers, but Pakistan needs to take the concrete steps to project its treasure," he said.

To realise the dream of five mountaineers from the Gilgit-Baltistan, he said that the Ev-K2-CNR would financially support an expedition to attempt scaling of the K2 peak in the coming summer. Raffaele Del Cima, the director SEED project, said the governments of Pakistan and Italy had been investing in Gilgit-Baltistan for the last four years in climate, geology and glaciology research besides strengthening the Central Karakorum National Park (CKNP) with requisite infrastructure to promote eco-friendly tourism. It is the high time to promote tourism to the CKNP and expeditions to K-2.

The SEED-EvK2CNR has partnered with the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO) to link the GB eco-tourism services to the mainstream markets, for that sake two festivals have been planned one each in Lahore and Karachi the month of March this year. The specially produced brochure would help market tourism itineraries to Europe and other parts of the world, Del Cima said.

Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Secretary Tourism Gilgit-Baltistan, Khadim Hussain, Secretary Forests and Wildlife Gilgit-Batistan and Agostino Da Polenza, president EvK2CNR also signed two MoUs to promote and strengthen tourism and cultural marketing. On the occasion, Saeed Akhtar Rizvi said Gilgit-Batistan has great potential of tourism and on the other hand the locals are starved for resources to promote their culture and craft. He said that Italian co-operation has contributed significantly in the fields of research and management plans.

Amjad Ayub of Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO) said the tales about the mountains in the GB could fetch many visitors to help sustain the diminishing tourism, "we are all eager to mark the K2 first ascent celebrations and extend the traditional Gilgit-Batistan hospitality with the professional excellence of the PATO member tour operators."

K-2 first ascent: year-long celebrations to mark 60th anniversary launched | Business Recorder
 
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