The Nepal Tourism Board has bagged a top prize from the Pacific Asia Travel Association. NTB's promotional cd on Nepal won the Gold Award in the cd-rom category from among more than 280 entries. Shikhar Prasai, honorary secretary of the Nepal chapter of PATA and director of Natraj Tours, was named the Face of the Future as an exceptional young tourism professional and PATA Nepal was awarded the Award of Excellence from among more than 45 chapters worldwide for its continued effort in promoting Nepal even while the country was facing a crisis. Meanwhile, the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents has sent letters to various diplomatic missions in Kathmandu asking them to remove travel advisories that discourage their nationals from visiting Nepal and asked to issue announcements stating that the country is now a safe destination.