Al Araby: In the past, families and visitors would come to Bamiyan and to Band-e Amir, but then they either had to take expensive flights (between $150 and $200 roundtrip), or had to contend with dangers potential Taliban checkpoints on the road, which was a major deterrent, especially for families. Click here to read more
1TV: Tourist arrivals in central Afghan province of Bamyan have declined 30 percent, local officials said. The decline is driven in large part by insecurity on Maidan Wardak-Bamyan and Ghorband Valley. Click here to read more (external link).
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
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: 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
Tolo News: Mounting insecurity in Badakhshan has severely affected the domestic tourism industry in the province, said the provincial directorate of information and culture. The directorate said that in the past, more than 400 tourists a year visited the province to take in its pristine mountain scenery and the peaks of Pamir. However, due to a sharp