Afghanistan's Taliban woos foreign tourists
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) —
Around 30 men are crammed into a Kabul classroom, part of the debut student cohort at a Taliban-run institute training tourism and hospitality professionals.
It’s a motley crew. One student is a model. Another is 17 and has no job history.
The students vary in age, education level and professional experience. They’re all men — Afghan women are banned from studying beyond sixth grade — and they don’t know anything about tourism or hospitality. But they are all eager to promote a different side of Afghanistan. And the Taliban are happy to help.
Afghanistan’s rulers are pariahs on the global stage, largely because of their restrictions on women and girls. The economy is struggling, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is rife.
And yet, foreigners are visiting the country, encouraged by the sharp drop in violence, increased flight connections with hubs like Dubai, and the bragging rights that come with vacationing in an unusual destination. The numbers aren’t huge — they never were — but there’s a buzz around Afghan tourism.
Related articles
Investigators return to Long Island home of Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect
MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Investigators returned Monday to the home of a New York architect charg2024-05-21Why Airbus is staying humble even as Boeing flounders
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — In the latest round of their decades-long battle for dominance in commerci2024-05-21Taylor Pendrith gets 1st PGA Tour win at Byron Nelson after final
McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Taylor Pendrith tried his best to ignore Ben Kohles’ final-hole meltdown, foc2024-05-21Hush money, catch and kill and more: Terms to know in Trump trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial is full of terms you don’t typically hear in2024-05-21What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’2024-05-21This is why you should be taking fashion advice from Nigel Farage, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer
Trainers! Who knew they were this big a deal? Suddenly, the humble sports shoe is top of the news.Fi2024-05-21
atest comment