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.
Canada is exploring a new and potentially unprecedented relationship with the European Union as Prime Minister ...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Saudi Arabia is opening up to more international travellers as tourism expands beyond religious travel. In Riyadh, historic landmarks stand alongside new developments and a rapidly changing skyline, while AlUla and Diriyah offer a glimpse into the kingdom’s heritage.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are considering restoring passenger ferry services across the Caspian Sea, six years after the route was suspended.
Flights across some of Britain's busiest airports were thrown into chaos on Tuesday after a technical failure at air traffic control provider NATS disrupted the system used to process flight data.
Investigators said they have recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that overran the runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday (6 September), killing five people on the ground.
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passengers stranded at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment