The world’s ‘most dangerous’ country is suddenly attracting thousands of tourists.
Afghanistan has been named the most dangerous country in the world, getting the lowest score on the Global Peace Index for the last six years, despite falling levels of violence.
It was also named on the 2024 risk map, in which it was given the highest warning level of “extreme” for security due to the levels of political violence and social unrest, as well as violent and petty crimes.
But this is not stopping tourists, with numbers slowly climbing every year – In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that figure rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000.
According to Euronews, this may be due to increased flight connections with hubs like Dubai and the bragging rights that come with vacationing in an unusual destination. Most of the tourists visiting Afghanistan are from China.
It is important to note that the Foreign Office advises Brits against all travel to the Asian nation, saying: “You should not travel to Afghanistan. The security situation is volatile. Travel throughout Afghanistan is extremely dangerous and border crossings may not be open.
“There is a heightened risk of British nationals being detained in Afghanistan. If you are a British national and you are detained in Afghanistan, you could face months or years of imprisonment. FCDO’s ability to help you is extremely limited and support in person is not possible in Afghanistan.”
Visas are difficult and expensive for tourists to obtain. Many countries severed ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power and no country recognises them as the legitimate rulers of the country.
The capital Kabul has the most international flights, but no Afghan airport has direct routes with major tourist markets like China, Europe, or India with airlines largely avoiding Afghan airspace.
There are also problems with the road network, which is half-paved or non-existent in some parts of the country.
Mohammad Saeed, head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul, wants Afghanistan to become a tourism powerhouse, an ambition that appears to be backed by the Taliban’s top leaders.
Afghanistan wants to encourage even more tourists with a Taliban-run institute training tourism and hospitality professionals to attract visitors.
The 30 students vary in age, education level and professional experience. They’re all men – Afghan women are banned from studying beyond sixth grade – and don’t know anything about the industry.
Business school graduate Samir Ahmadzai, one of the students, said: “People hear that Afghanistan is backwards, poverty and all about war. We have 5,000 years of history. There should be a new page of Afghanistan.”
Classes include Afghan handicrafts and anthropology basics but an unofficial subject is how to interact with foreign women whose behaviour could clash with local customs and edicts.
Examples might be women smoking or eating in public, or mixing with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage. The Taliban have imposed a dress code for women and requirements for them to have a male guardian when they travel.
Dining and travelling alone as well as socialising with other women in public have become harder. With gyms closed to women and beauty salons banned, there are fewer places where they can meet outside the home.
