Taliban Aiming to Bring Visitors to Afghanistan
2024-05-02
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1A school for tourism and hotel management has opened its doors to students in Kabul, Afghanistan.
2The students are of different ages and their levels of education and professional experience are not the same.
3They are all men because Afghan women are banned from studying after sixth grade.
4The men do not know anything about tourism or the hospitality industry.
5But they hope to show a different side of Afghanistan in the future.
6The country's Taliban leaders are interested in their efforts.
7The international community mostly rejects Afghanistan's Taliban rulers because of their restrictions on women and girls.
8The Afghan economy is struggling. Roads, bridges and other structures are in poor condition and people have little money.
9However, foreigners are visiting the country because violence has decreased.
10There are also more air travel connections from places like Dubai, and some people enjoy vacationing in an unusual place.
11The numbers are not large, but there is a notable increase in Afghan tourism.
12In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists.
13In 2022, that number rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000 foreign tourists who visited Afghanistan.
14Mohammad Saeed is the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul.
15He said the biggest foreign visitor market is China because it is close and has a large population.
16Afghanistan also has advantages over some of its neighbors.
17"They've told me they don't want to go to Pakistan because it's dangerous and they get attacked.
18The Japanese have said this to me also," Saeed said.
19"This is good for us."
20But there are disadvantages, too.
21Visas are difficult and costly. Many countries cut ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
22Nations do not officially recognize the group as the legitimate rulers of the country.
23Saeed admitted Afghan tourism faces barriers but said he was working to overcome them.
24His aim is to have a visa on arrival for tourists, but that could be years away.
25There are problems with the road network, which is half-finished or non-existent in some parts of the country.
26Many airlines avoid Afghan airspace.
27The capital Kabul has the most international flights.
28But no Afghan airport has direct regular flights to or from major tourist centers in China, Europe or India.
29Although there are many difficulties, Saeed wants Afghanistan to be a popular tourist spot.
30It is a hope that appears to be supported by the Taliban's top leaders.
31An unofficial subject is how to interact with foreign women and how their behavior could conflict with local customs and laws.
32Examples might be women smoking or eating in public or interacting freely with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage.
33The Taliban has a dress code for women and requirements to have a male guardian when they travel.
34Eating at restaurants alone, traveling alone, and socializing with other women in public have become harder.
35With gyms closed to women and beauty salons banned, there are fewer places where women can meet outside the home.
36There are signs that the country is preparing for more overseas visitors.
37For example, the country's only five-star hotel has reopened its women's spa and salon for foreign women.
38Foreigners must show their passport to receive services. Women with "born in Afghanistan" on their identification are barred.
39There are no women at the Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management.
40The students do not talk about it. But an official at the Tourism Directorate did.
41"It's a heartbreaking situation," said the official, who did not want to be identified.
42"Even female family members ask if they can study here. But there was a change in policy with the change in government. The women who were studying before (the takeover) never came back. They never graduated."
43I'm Ashley Thompson.
1A school for tourism and hotel management has opened its doors to students in Kabul, Afghanistan. 2The students are of different ages and their levels of education and professional experience are not the same. They are all men because Afghan women are banned from studying after sixth grade. The men do not know anything about tourism or the hospitality industry. But they hope to show a different side of Afghanistan in the future. The country's Taliban leaders are interested in their efforts. 3The international community mostly rejects Afghanistan's Taliban rulers because of their restrictions on women and girls. The Afghan economy is struggling. Roads, bridges and other structures are in poor condition and people have little money. 4However, foreigners are visiting the country because violence has decreased. There are also more air travel connections from places like Dubai, and some people enjoy vacationing in an unusual place. The numbers are not large, but there is a notable increase in Afghan tourism. 5In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that number rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000 foreign tourists who visited Afghanistan. 6Mohammad Saeed is the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul. He said the biggest foreign visitor market is China because it is close and has a large population. Afghanistan also has advantages over some of its neighbors. 7"They've told me they don't want to go to Pakistan because it's dangerous and they get attacked. The Japanese have said this to me also," Saeed said. "This is good for us." 8But there are disadvantages, too. 9Visas are difficult and costly. Many countries cut ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Nations do not officially recognize the group as the legitimate rulers of the country. 10Saeed admitted Afghan tourism faces barriers but said he was working to overcome them. His aim is to have a visa on arrival for tourists, but that could be years away. There are problems with the road network, which is half-finished or non-existent in some parts of the country. Many airlines avoid Afghan airspace. 11The capital Kabul has the most international flights. But no Afghan airport has direct regular flights to or from major tourist centers in China, Europe or India. 12Although there are many difficulties, Saeed wants Afghanistan to be a popular tourist spot. It is a hope that appears to be supported by the Taliban's top leaders. 13An unofficial subject is how to interact with foreign women and how their behavior could conflict with local customs and laws. Examples might be women smoking or eating in public or interacting freely with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage. 14The Taliban has a dress code for women and requirements to have a male guardian when they travel. Eating at restaurants alone, traveling alone, and socializing with other women in public have become harder. With gyms closed to women and beauty salons banned, there are fewer places where women can meet outside the home. 15There are signs that the country is preparing for more overseas visitors. For example, the country's only five-star hotel has reopened its women's spa and salon for foreign women. 16Foreigners must show their passport to receive services. Women with "born in Afghanistan" on their identification are barred. 17There are no women at the Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management. The students do not talk about it. But an official at the Tourism Directorate did. 18"It's a heartbreaking situation," said the official, who did not want to be identified. "Even female family members ask if they can study here. But there was a change in policy with the change in government. The women who were studying before (the takeover) never came back. They never graduated." 19I'm Ashley Thompson. 20Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press. 21_______________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for enjoyment and not for business 24management -n. the job of supervising the operations of a business and its workers 25hospitality industry - n. the industry that provides places to stay, food and services for visitors 26advantage - n. a gain or a favorable thing 27legitimate -adj. something that is right, real, official or legal 28dress code -n. rules for clothing that can be worn in a place 29gym (gymnasium) -n. a place where people exercise using equipment or take part in activities 30beauty salon -n. a business that provides beauty services 31spa -n. a place where people do healthy or relaxing activities aiming to improve their appearance and wellbeing 32graduated -adj. to have completed a course of study at a school or college