Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
AT News
KABUL: Local officials said that tourism areas in the central Bamiyan province have reopened for tourists after almost four months of lockdown to prevent the spread of the covid-19 pandemic.
Tens of tourists from across the country visit Bamiyan landscapes and tourism sites on daily basis.
“We come here to enjoy the Bamiyan beauty,” said Abdulkhaliq, a visitor. “Bamiyan has a calm and stable situation and beautiful weather. No one think about the coronavirus here.”
Some residents have expressed optimism on a surge in daily incomes and opportunity for jobs, saying that the increase in the number of tourists will help surge their incomes, da.azadiradio reported.
A female local trader, Zahra Kazimi said that she restarted her business one past week. “I brought the groceries, the numbers of clients are so low,” she said. “The tourism just started, the market is not as good as before.”
The provincial officials have eased the lockdowns and restrictions based on people’s demand as the poverty was hitting Bamiyan amid the pandemic virus crisis. The hotels and landscapes are open for the visitors.
Provincial governor’s spokesman, Abdul Latif Azimi said the tourists could visit the landscapes and national park with observation of social distance and wearing masks.
Bamiyan is one of the ancient provinces in Afghanistan that embraced natural beauty and astonishing sightseeing. The province hosts hundreds of Afghan and foreign tourists every year.
Based on the local government’s statistics, over 250,000 national and foreign tourists visited Bamiyan last year.
The number of tourists in Bamiyan, local officials said has been significantly dropped after the coronavirus spread. About 600 tourists visit Band-e-Amir Lake located in the province, which the officials said was significantly lower compared to the past years.
