Consulate General of South Korea in Karachi hosts National Foundation Day of Korea.

In a remarkable display of cultural diplomacy and international camaraderie, the Consul General of Korea, His Excellency Mr. Yi Sung Ho, hosted a reception to commemorate the National Foundation Day of Korea. The event, held at Marriott Hotel Karachi on Friday 27^th October 2023, brought together distinguished guests from the realms of diplomacy, governance, and commerce.

Chief Guest of this grand event was His Excellency Governor of Sindh Mr. Kamran Khan Tessori. The event was well attended by several foreign dignitaries, including Consul Generals; Dr. Rudiger Lotz of Germany; Dr. June Kuncoro of Indonesia; Mr. Jagath Abeywarna Consul General of Sri Lanka; Mr. Sami Al-Khanjari of Oman; Mr. Nayef Shahein Alsulaiti of Qatar; Mr. Hassan Nourian of Iran; Mr. Herman Hardynata of Malaysia; Mr. Abdulla Ahmed Bu Qahoos of Bahrain; Vice Consul General of Kuwait; Vice Consul General of Japan; Vice Consul General of France; Honorary Consul General of Yemen; Honorary Consul General of Kingdom of Morocco and Honorary Consul General of Poland alongside other distinguished diplomats.

The evening commenced with an engaging speech by His Excellency Mr. Yi Sung Ho, wherein he shared insights into the rich cultural heritage and remarkable economic progress of Korea. A documentary further shed light on Korea’s outstanding economic achievements, captivating the audience.

The Consulate’s staff set up informative stalls, showcasing historical housing schemes, allowing guests to gain a deeper understanding of Korea’s architectural evolution. The traditional Korean snack stall was met with unanimous approval, offering a delectable culinary journey into Korean flavors.

The grand finale of the event unfolded at a sumptuous buffet dinner, serving a delightful fusion of Pakistani, continental, and traditional Korean cuisines, including the renowned Kimchi. The gastronomic indulgence left guests with an unforgettable culinary experience.

To express gratitude and extend a piece of Korea to the attendees, each guest received a farewell gift bag containing delicious Korean pie cakes, thoughtfully sourced from a local Korean manufacturer in Pakistan.

The National Day of Korea celebration in Karachi, hosted by the Consul General of Korea, exemplified the essence of cultural exchange and international relations. It was a night to remember, where diverse cultures converged resulting in fostering goodwill and friendship. This event reaffirmed the strong bonds of cooperation and diplomacy that exist between Korea and Pakistan.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) inaugurates Pakistan’s first ‘Food for Future’ summit.

Biz Today International and Nutra Solutions organized a first ever food summit on ‘Food for Future’ at Marriott Hotel Karachi on Thursday, 12 January, 2023. Naeem Khanani, CEO Nutra Solutions welcomed the guests and highlighted the importance of exploring and debating food for future for Pakistan.

His Excellency Dr. June Kuncoro Hadiningrat, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Karachi discussed the topic food for thought..

Mr. Zubair Motiwala, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP)highlighted the importance of import substitution and export of value added products from Pakistan to support Pakistan’s Economy.

Mr. Motiwala said merely exports of USD 30 Billion from a country like Pakistan having population of 220 Million is not justified at all, we have to explore new value added products export and import substitution on war footing basis.

Mr. Zubair Motiwala informed that the TDAP is setting up Pakistani Pavilion at 28^th edition of Gulfood, which is due to start from 20^th Feb and will go till 24^th February 2023 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Gulfood is the world’s largest food and beverage sourcing and hospitality show and got an overwhelming response from Pakistani Companies but we could not accommodate all interested companies who applied for participation at Gulfood 23.

Mr. Zubair Motiwala, CEO TDAP then launched Biz Today International’s ”Gulfood 2023 Special Supplement” at ‘Future for Food’ summit held in Karachi. All interested companies who intends to show case their presence at Gulfood 2023 can consider availing their product show casing through this special supplement which will be available at Pakistani Pavilion with assistance to Pakistani Companies. Biz Today with TDAP support and guidance will publish “Gulfood 2023 Special Supplement” developing markets for F&B exports from Pakistan highlighting the potential of Halal Food and Beverage items export at competitive prices from Pakistan and show case Pakistani value added food and food preparations.

“Gulfood 2023 Special Supplement” will be in digital format as well as in print edition, print edition will be circulated at Gulfood and same will be circulated to Commercial Counselors based in Pakistani Embassies worldwide. We will also facilitate Business Match making between potential exporters and importers.

Naeem Khanani, CEO Nutra Solutions informed that main objective of launching Biz Today Gulfood 2023 Special supplement with TDAP support is to develop export markets for Pakistani food & beverage industry. Pakistan food exports of fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, rice, citrus, processed food, Confectionery and other value added food for future with innovations can bring much needed foreign exchange and increase employment opportunities for our food technologists in Pakistan.

Naeem Khanani,CEO Nutra Solutions informed that It’s high time for talk with action. Food for Future Summit aims to spark thought provoking dialogues and debates among food technologists and experts to ignite the fuel that will drive the change in the national food systems.

Dr. Fayyaz Ashraf spoke on food for future summit to reduce malnutrition and hunger keeping in view Zero Hunger is part of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Pakistan’s exports of halal meat and meat preparations were stood USD 333 million during fiscal year 2020-21 and expected above USD 500 million this fiscal year.

Mairaj Qureshi, CEO Macca Food Industries discussed the huge scope of export of Halal meat from Pakistan.

Ms. Saima Maqbool, faculty at COTHM explained the need of food safety for all food complete value chain.

An exciting Panel discussion on food for future with experts from food technology consisting of Omer Qasim, Dr. Fayyaz Ashraf, Hina Anis, Waqas Azeem and Amira Ismail created the high interest from audience.

Moderator Naeem Khanani invited panelists to throw light on food for future to ensure food security, zero hunger and reduce malnutrition. Experts also touched the topic of export of organic food and food with healthy life style and balanced diet.

Waqas Azeem, Former Chairman APRA well-presented initiatives taken for reduction of food wastage and to achieve zero hunger Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Dr. Ghufran Saeed, Assistant Professor Food Science & Technology, University of Karachi spoke on Good food for all: food as a connector for health and climate.

Concluding speech was delivered by His Excellency Herman Hardynata Bin Ahmad, Consul General of Malaysia in Karachi. Vote of Thanks was offered by Mr. Irfan Pardesi, Founder, Biz Today International.

From left Mr. Naeem Khannani, CEO Nutra Solutions, Mr. Irfan Perdesi, Founder Biz Today International, Mr. Zubair Motiwala, CEO TDAP, H.E. Dr. June Kuncoro Hadiningrat, H.E. Herman Hardynata Bin Ahmad and Mr. Rafiq Vayani, Editor Biz Today International at the launch of Biz Today International’s ‘Gulfood 2023 Special Supplement’.

Getting ahead of the curve at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) & Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) 2020

The PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2020 began on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia attracting 347 delegates from 33 destinations in attendance for the three-day niche event with international delegates comprising 40% of the total. Encompassing a one-day-travel mart and one-day conference, the B2B trade mart on Friday, February 14 will welcome 51 seller organizations from 9 destinations and 45 buyer organizations from 21 source markets.

The event, which is organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by Tourism Malaysia and supported by Sabah Tourism and Malaysia Airlines, brought together international experts at the forefront of the adventure travel industry to explore the nuances, trends and dynamics of one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors.

On Thursday, February 13, delegates will hear from a diverse line-up of speakers at the one-day conference under the theme ‘Ahead of the Curve: Authenticity and Sustainability in Adventure’. The innovators and pioneers, who are shaping the emerging landscape of the adventure travel industry, will examine various conference topics that cover ‘State of Adventure Tourism’, ‘Who Are Our Adventure Tourists?’, ‘Creating Meaningful Adventures’, ‘Sustainable Elephant Experiences’, ‘How to Use Responsible Travel Initiatives to Attract Adventure Tourists’, and ‘Starting Small: How to Integrate Adventure Elements into Your Tour.’

This year’s conference programme also features two concurrent hands-on workshops on Sustainability, led by Natasha Martin, Adventure Tourism Expert; Raj Gyawali, Founder, Social Tours and Jessica Yew, Co-Founder & Director, Sticky Rice Travel and Authenticity, which will be led Dan Moore, CEO of Pandion Consulting & Facilitation.

The conference will be opened by YB Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia, who said; “we are very pleased to be given the honour to host PATA this year, whose theme ‘Authenticity and Sustainability in Adventure’ is in line with our aspirations to highlight Malaysia’s outdoor and adventure attractions to cater to the growing adventure tourism market while adhering to responsible travel initiatives.”

Other confirmed speakers include Graham Harper, Director – Sustainability & Social Responsibility, PATA; Irshad Mubarak, Owner, Junglewalla Tours, Pakkanut Bansiddhi, DVM, MSc, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Companion Animals and Wildlife Clinics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, and Theerapat Trungprakan, President, Thai Elephant Alliance Association.

“I would like to sincerely thank all our delegates and speakers for joining us in Malaysia to discuss, analyse and share their various ideas in planning, building and promoting a responsible travel and tourism industry, particularly during the current corona-virus crises,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. “I would also like to to thank our hosts for having taken extra precautions to ensure the health and safety our delegates during their stay in Sabah.”

About PATA: Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its more than 800 member organisations, including 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 20 international airlines and airports, 102 hospitality organisations and 70 educational institutions, as well as over 4,000 young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organize numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 35 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 22 PATA Student Chapters globally.

The PATAmPOWER platform delivers un-rivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London. PATA’s Annual Theme for the 2020 calendar year is ‘Partnerships for Tomorrow’. Visit www.PATA.org.

About Tourism Malaysia: Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board commonly known as Tourism Malaysia is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM 84.10 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.