NBC News: Decades of conflict and political instability have all but destroyed Afghanistan’s once-thriving heritage and tourism industry, but new efforts are being made to promote the country’s spectacular riches. A trickle of overseas visitors was recorded last year although many Western governments, including the U.S., advise against travel to the country. Click here to read
November 29, 2017 RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service TASHKENT — An Afghan Kam Air passenger jet landed at Tashkent International Airport on November 29 after making the first-ever direct commercial flight from Kabul to Uzbekistan’s capital. The Uzbek government said earlier that talks on starting direct flights between the two capitals were under way and that a
The Telegraph (UK): Unfortunately for travellers, the [UK] Foreign Office deems the country too dangerous to visit. “Hotels and guesthouses used by foreign nationals and the government of Afghanistan are subject to regular threats,” its website warns… That’s not to say that some Britons aren’t ignoring the advice. Indeed, a handful of tour operators, such as
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday reassured the people of Afghanistan that peace and security will come to the country, and called for the revival of Afghanistan’s tourism industry to be used as a source against terrorism. Ghani made the remarks during a scientific and research seminar in Kabul on challenges facing the tourism industry.
Tolo News: One of Afghanistan’s prominent private aviation companies, Kam Air, has purchased a new Airbus A340 airliner as part of its efforts to boost the aviation industry in the country, officials of the company said. The Airbus A340 is a long-range, four-engine, wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed and produced by the European aerospace company
Tolo News: Bamiyan, which is known as the safe haven of the country, has been hard hit by the recent spike in insecurity in neighboring provinces, as key highways leading to its center are no longer secure. This has affected both domestic and foreign tourism in the province, officials said. Click here to read more (external
Xinhua: “Its natural beauty, panoramic landscapes, historical monuments, hospitable people and, above all, its peaceful environment, has lured me to Bamyan,” tourist Mohammad Haroon told Xinhua recently. Visiting the site of the giant Buddha ruins and lambasting the Taliban for blowing up the cultural heritage with dynamite, Haroon protested that the hardliner group, by destroying a
The Mirror (UK): These images show the faces of Afghanistan’s people – in a region where the Taliban no longer exercise their rule of terror. Locals from the Afghan Pamir – an area between Tajikistan and Pakistan – are grateful for the peace of their region. Photographed by travelling snapper Eric Lafforgue, they live in a
KRBD: Sabra Simmonds lived in Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, serving as communications advisor to the Afghan Minister of Agriculture. She shared her experiences to a crowd of about 70 people during a presentation at the Ketchikan Public Library in mid-November. Joining, via Skype, was retired Lieutenant Colonel Khoshhal Sadat who served as an Afghan liaison to
The Telegraph (UK): Think Afghanistan and what springs to mind? Kidnappings? Car bombs? The Taliban? Perhaps, but if you’re not not perturbed by harrowing headlines, the BBC world affairs editor, John Simpson, recommends a visit to the country. Contrary to the advice of the Foreign Office, which warns against all travel to most of Afghanistan, the