Afghanistan and Türkiye are considering a tourism agreement to promote historic and religious sites, ease travel and train tourism workers, Afghan authorities said after talks in Kabul on Monday.
Qudratullah Jamal, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister for Tourism, Finance and Administrative Affairs, met Türkiye’s Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul, Sadin Ayyıldız, on 13 July.
The statement summarised Ayyıldız’s view of the relationship, saying, “He described culture as the most important bridge between the two countries.”
The Ministry of Information and Culture said the discussions covered a memorandum of understanding, a joint working group, exhibitions and cooperation between tourism companies.
The Afghan statement highlighted Türkiye’s offer of support. It said, “He said Türkiye’s tourism industry was one of the country’s fastest-growing economic sectors and stressed that Türkiye was ready to share its experience with Afghanistan in tourism, hospitality, travel services and human capacity development.”
Afghan authorities are stepping up efforts to attract tourists. The ministry runs a Tourism and Hospitality Institute, regulates licensing and provincial travel, and promotes digital platforms. It says tour groups must provide itineraries and guide details to enable coordination with provincial and security officials.
However, the proposed agreement with Türkiye remains at an early stage. The statement did not provide a signing date, budget, visitor target or timetable for the proposed agreement or the joint working group.
Afghanistan is seeking to attract visitors to the Band-e-Amir lakes, the Baba Mountains, the Minaret of Jam, Herat Citadel, Timurid shrines and Kabul’s traditional bazaars, according to the ministry’s tourism directorate. Bamiyan, Ghazni and Kandahar are also being promoted for their historical and cultural sites.
More than 9,500 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan between March 2025 and February 2026, according to Khabib Ghufran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture.
The increase comes despite ongoing security concerns. The United Kingdom and the U.S. advise against all travel to Afghanistan, citing the risks of terrorism, kidnapping and wrongful detention.
Kazakhstan has elected its first unicameral Kurultai, bringing into force a sweeping political overhaul launched less than a year ago. The vote mar...
Syrian and Israeli officials held U.S.-brokered talks in Jordan on Sunday to ease tensions after an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near Tü...
Uzbekistan is looking to Singapore as it builds a fintech ecosystem designed to attract global investment, technology companies and talent....
Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv wants peace but will not surrender to Russia, as foreign leaders joined Independence Day events marking 35 years since Ukraine’s independence.
A newly created pro-government political party has secured a commanding victory in Kazakhstan's snap parliamentary election, according to exit polls, strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's influence at a pivotal moment in the country's political transition.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for a wartime election, arguing that holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues would divide the country and undermine national unity.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
The U.S. has made its visa bond programme permanent for citizens of 50 countries, requiring some business and tourist visa applicants to pay refundable deposits of up to $20,000. Several Central Asian countries remain on the list, but Uzbekistan is not.
Kazakhstan is set to become the first country in Central Asia to introduce electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis into its transport system.
The wreckage of a Pan American Airways passenger plane that crashed in 1952 has been located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean after a seven-year investigation led by the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation in partnership with the Discovery Channel, according to a recent press release.
The European Union's General Court has dismissed Ryanair's appeals against an Italian state aid scheme approved by the European Commission in 2020 to support airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment