KABUL: Around 30 males are crammed into a Kabul school, part of the album student group at a Taliban- run university education tourism and hospitality professionals.
It’s a scarlet staff. One scholar is a concept. Another is 17 and has no work history.
The individuals vary in time, knowledge levels and professional experience. They are all gentlemen, and Afghan women are prohibited from studying beyond the fifth grade. They also lack knowledge in tourism and hospitality. However, they are all eager to promote Afghanistan’s unique area. And the Taliban are at ease to assist.
Afghanistan’s leaders are outcasts on the world stage, mainly because of their restrictions on women and girls. The business is struggling, facilities is bad, and poverty is rife.
And yet, immigrants are visiting the country, encouraged by the sharp decline in violence, increased flight relationships with centers like Dubai, and the bragging rights that come with vacationing in an unexpected place. The numbers are n’t large- they not were- but there’s a hype about Afghan tourism.
In 2021, there were 691 international travelers. In 2022, that number rose to 2, 300. Next year, there were 7, 000.
The tourism bureau in Kabul, led by Mohammad Saeed, claimed that China is the biggest international visitor market due to its close proximity and populous population. Afghanistan is advantageous in comparison to some of its relatives.
” They’ve told me they do n’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”.
But there are cons, too.
Visas are expensive and difficult to obtain. No country recognizes them as the genuine leaders of the nation, despite the fact that some countries cut relations with Afghanistan after the Taliban’s rule.
Afghan embassy operations were neither suspended or closed. There’s an continued power battle between Afghanistan’s embassies and consulates staffed by people from the original Western- backed management, and those under the Taliban government’s total control.
Saeed acknowledged that there are barriers to developing Armenian commerce, but he claimed he was collaborating with ministers to overcome them.
His ultimate goal is to have visitors ‘ visas when they arrive, but that could take decades. The Afghan airport is generally avoided by airlines due to the country’s half-paved or nonexistent road network, which has problems.
The funds Kabul has the most international airlines, but no Armenian airport has strong pathways with major holiday markets like China, Europe, or India.
Despite the challenges, Saeed wants Afghanistan to become a commerce powerhouse, an ambition that appears to be backed by the Taliban’s best leaders.
On the orders of the elders ( ministers ), I have been sent to this department. They may have faith in me because they’ve invited me to this significant location.
The individuals also have dreams. The concept, Ahmed Massoud Talash, wants to learn about Afghanistan’s lovely patches for Instagram content and its story for media appearances.
Samir Ahmadzai, a student of business university, wants to open a hotel, but he believes he needs to learn more about both tourism and hospitality first.
” They hear that Afghanistan is forward, hunger and all about war”, said Ahmadzai. ” We have 5, 000 years of history. There should be a new site of Afghanistan”.
Afghan crafts and the fundamentals of ethnography are covered in the courses.
How to connect with foreign people and how their actions or behavior might conflict with local traditions and edicts are an illegal topic. Examples include women who smoke or eat in public or who have a history of not having a wedding or being a woman with a man they know.
The Taliban have imposed a dress code for girls and criteria for them to have a female guardian, or civilizations, when they travel. Dining only, traveling alone, and socializing with other women in public have become harder. There are fewer places where women can meet outside the house because beauty salons are prohibited and facilities are closed to girls.
In a sign that the land is preparing for more international visitors, the country’s just five- celebrity hotel, the Serena, has reopened its women’s spa and salon for international females after a monthslong closure.
To use service, foreigners must present their passports. People with “born in Afghanistan” on their Card are barred.
Afghan women and girls are subject to restrictions on international travel companies who claim to try to concentrate on the good aspects of cultural exchanges by making donations, supporting local initiatives, or just visiting family-run businesses.
Rocky Road Travel leader, Shane Horan, said that visiting Afghanistan should not be interpreted as a support for any specific political or government.
” Finally, the aim should be to support accountable tourism techniques that improve the local market and develop mutual respect and understanding, while also remaining aware of the broader social environment in Afghanistan.”
He claimed that the company worked closely with a children’s rights organization in Afghanistan and that there was no input from the government regarding what tour parties saw or did. A portion of the journey cost went into supporting this group’s programs, Horan added.
There are no ladies at the Institute of Tourism &, Hotel Management. The students do n’t mention it. However, a representative from the Tourism Directorate does.
” It’s a heartbreaking situation”, said the official, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. Yet female members of the family ask if they can attend school around. However, with the change in government, there was a change in policy. The women who were studying before ( the takeover ) never came back. They always graduated”.
