Kabul, Afghanistan — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) —
About 30 men are packed into a Kabul classroom, part of the first group of students at a Taliban-run institute that trains tourism and hospitality professionals.
It is a heterogeneous group. A student is a role model. Another is 17 years old and has no professional history.
Students vary in age, education level and professional experience. They are all men – Afghan women are prohibited from studying beyond the sixth year – and they know nothing about tourism or hospitality. But everyone is eager to promote a different side of Afghanistan. And the Taliban are happy to help.
Afghanistan’s rulers are pariahs on the global stage, largely because of the restrictions they impose on women and girls. The economy is in difficulty, infrastructure is poor and poverty is rife.
And yet foreigners are flocking to the country, encouraged by the sharp drop in violence, increased air links with hubs like Dubai and the bragging rights that come with vacationing in an offbeat destination. The numbers aren’t huge – never have been – but there is a buzz around Afghan tourism.
In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, this number rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7 thousand.
Mohammad Saeed, head of the Directorate of Tourism in Kabul, said the biggest market for foreign visitors is China due to its proximity and large population. Afghanistan also has advantages over some of its neighbors.
“They told me they don’t want to go to Pakistan because it is dangerous and they are attacked. The Japanese also told me this,” said Saeed. “That’s good for us.”
But there are also disadvantages.
Visas are difficult and expensive to access. Many countries cut ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power, and no country recognizes them as the country’s legitimate rulers.
Afghan embassies have closed or suspended their operations. There is an ongoing power struggle between Afghanistan’s embassies and consulates, staffed by people from the former Western-backed administration, and those under the full control of the Taliban administration.
Saeed admits there are obstacles to the development of Afghan tourism, but said he is working with ministries to overcome them.
Their ultimate goal is to obtain a visa on arrival for tourists, but this can take years. There are problems with the road network, which is partially paved or non-existent in some parts of the country, and airlines largely avoid Afghan airspace.
The capital Kabul has the highest number of international flights, but no Afghan airport has direct routes to major tourist markets such as China, Europe or India.
Despite the challenges, Saeed wants Afghanistan to become a tourism powerhouse, an ambition that appears to be supported by the Taliban’s top leaders.
“I was sent to this department on the instructions of the elders (ministers). They must trust me because they sent me to this important place.”
Students also have aspirations. Model, Ahmed Massoud Talash, wants to learn about Afghanistan’s picturesque locations for Instagram posts and its history for media appearances.
Samir Ahmadzai, a business administration graduate, wants to open a hotel, but he thinks he should know more about tourism and hospitality first.
“They hear that Afghanistan is a backward, poor country and that it is all about war,” said Ahmadzai. “We have 5,000 years of history. There should be a new Afghanistan page.”
Classes include Afghan crafts and anthropology basics.
An unofficial topic is how to interact with foreign women and how your behavior or habits may conflict with local customs and decrees. Examples might be women smoking or eating in public, or living freely with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage.
The Taliban have imposed a dress code on women and requirements that they have a male guardian, or mahram, when they travel. Dining alone, traveling alone, and socializing with other women in public became more difficult. With gyms closed to women and beauty salons banned, there are fewer places they can congregate outside the home.
In a sign that the country is preparing to welcome more foreign visitors, the country’s only five-star hotel, Serena, has reopened its women’s spa and salon for foreign women after a month of closure.
Foreigners must present their passport to access the services. Women with “born in Afghanistan” on their ID are prohibited.
The restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls weigh on foreign travel companies, who say they try to focus on the positive aspect of cultural interactions by donating, supporting local projects or just visiting family businesses.
Shane Horan, founder of Rocky Road Travel, said visiting Afghanistan should not be seen as an endorsement of any specific government or political regime.
“Ultimately, the goal should be to support responsible tourism practices that contribute positively to the local economy and promote mutual respect and understanding, while remaining aware of the broader political context in Afghanistan.”
He said there was no input from authorities about what the tour groups saw or did and that the company worked closely with a women’s rights organization in Afghanistan. A percentage of the cost of the trip went toward supporting this organization’s programs, Horan added.
There are no women at the Tourism Institute & Hotel management. Students don’t mention this. But an official from the Tourism Department did.
“It’s a desolate situation,” said the official, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. “Even female family members ask if they can study here. But there was a change in policy with the change of government. The women who studied before (the acquisition) never returned. They never graduated.”
