More Tourists Flock to Afghanistan in 2007
More than 3,100 international tourists visited Afghanistan in the first quarter of 2007, compared to 9,000 sightseers who traveled to Afghanistan throughout the whole of 2006.
On June 24 Deputy Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism Gholam Nabi Farahi announced the statistics, saying that the number of tourists visiting Afghanistan has steadily increased throughout the last few years. In the early 1970s, nearly 400,000 vacationers and backpackers passed through Afghanistan in their travels along the Silk Road.
The Deputy Minister identified Bamian, Mazar-e Sharif [in Balkh Province], Herat and Parwan Provinces as the most popular destinations, due to their safety and cites of cultural interest.
In hopes of further promoting tourism, the Ministry has issued licenses for the construction of 150 guesthouses throughout the country and taken preliminary steps to establish a tourism school in the Pol-e Charkhi area of Kabul.
