Taliban Aiming to Bring Visitors to Afghanistan

Taliban Aiming to Bring Visitors to Afghanistan

A school for tourism and hotel management has opened its doors to students in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The students are of different ages and their levels of education and professional experience are not the same. They are all men because Afghan women are banned from studying after sixth grade. The men do not know anything about tourism or the hospitality¹ industry. But they hope to show a different side of Afghanistan in the future. The country's Taliban leaders are interested in their efforts.

The international community mostly rejects Afghanistan's Taliban rulers because of their restrictions² on women and girls. The Afghan economy is struggling. Roads, bridges and other structures are in poor condition and people have little money.

However, foreigners are visiting the country because violence has decreased. There are also more air travel connections from places like Dubai, and some people enjoy vacationing in an unusual place. The numbers are not large, but there is a notable³ increase in Afghan tourism.

In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that number rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000 foreign tourists who visited Afghanistan.

Mohammad Saeed is the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul. He said the biggest foreign visitor market is China because it is close and has a large population. Afghanistan also has advantages over some of its neighbors.

"They've told me they don'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 disadvantages, too.

Visas are difficult and costly⁴. Many countries cut ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Nations do not officially recognize the group as the legitimate⁵ rulers of the country.

Saeed admitted Afghan tourism faces barriers but said he was working to overcome them. His aim is to have a visa on arrival for tourists, but that could be years away. There are problems with the road network, which is half-finished or non-existent in some parts of the country. Many airlines avoid Afghan airspace.

The capital Kabul has the most international flights. But no Afghan airport has direct regular flights to or from major tourist centers in China, Europe or India.

Although there are many difficulties, Saeed wants Afghanistan to be a popular tourist spot. It is a hope that appears to be supported by the Taliban's top leaders.

An unofficial subject is how to interact⁶ with foreign women and how their behavior could conflict with local customs and laws. Examples might be women smoking or eating in public or interacting⁷ freely with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage.

The Taliban has a dress code for women and requirements to have a male guardian⁸ when they travel. Eating at restaurants alone, traveling alone, and socializing with other women in public have become harder. With gyms closed to women and beauty salons¹⁰ banned, there are fewer places where women can meet outside the home.

There are signs that the country is preparing for more overseas visitors. For example, the country's only five-star hotel has reopened its women's spa and salon⁹ for foreign women.

Foreigners must show their passport to receive services. Women with "born in Afghanistan" on their identification¹¹ are barred.

There are no women at the Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management. The students do not talk about it. But an official at the Tourism Directorate did.

"It's a heartbreaking situation," said the official, who did not want to be identified. "Even female family members ask if they can study here. But there was a change in policy with the change in government. The women who were studying before (the takeover) never came back. They never graduated."

Words in This Story

tourism — n. the activity of traveling to a place for enjoyment¹² and not for business

management –n. the job of supervising¹³ the operations of a business and its workers

hospitality industry — n. the industry that provides places to stay, food and services for visitors

advantage — n. a gain or a favorable thing

legitimate —adj. something that is right, real, official or legal

dress code –n. rules for clothing that can be worn in a place

gym (gymnasium) –n. a place where people exercise using equipment or take part in activities

beauty salon –n. a business that provides beauty services

spa –n. a place where people do healthy or relaxing activities aiming to improve their appearance and wellbeing

graduated –adj. to have completed a course of study at a school or college

1 hospitality   

n.好客，殷勤；adj.（气候等）宜人，适宜

参考例句：

• He welcomed you to enjoy his hospitality.他欢迎你去做客。
• Thank you for your kind hospitality.谢谢你的盛情款待。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 notable   

adj.值得注意的，著名的；n.名人，要人

参考例句：

• His achievement is very notable.他的成就是非常显著的。
• He wrote and published the essay under notable's name.他假托名人写文章发表。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

6 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。

7 interacting   

adj.相互影响的；相互作用的

参考例句：

• The interacting surfaces were lubricated with a mineral oil. 相互作用表面是用矿物油润滑的。
• Proteins which have two separate but interacting sites are called allosteric proteins. 这种具有两个不同而又相互作用位置的蛋白质叫做变构蛋白质。

8 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

9 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

10 salons   

n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅

参考例句：

• He used to attend to his literary salons. 他过去常常去参加他的文学沙龙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Conspiracy theories about Jewish financiers were the talk of Paris salons. 犹太金融家阴谋论成为巴黎沙龙的话题。 来自互联网

11 identification   

n.视为同一，证明同一，确认

参考例句：

• He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。
• We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。

12 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

13 supervising   

v.监督，管理( supervise的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She had something to do in the house, supervising that native. 她待在家里，究竟还有点儿事情可以做做，可以监视那个土人。 来自辞典例句
• In addition, nuisance law fails to provide a systematic mechanism for supervising emissions. 另外，妨害法不能提供一个监督排放的系统性机制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法