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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: The Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) insecurity has battered tourism industry over the past few years.
The acting Minister of the MoIC, Musadeq Khalili, told Azadi Radio that around 700 tourists have visited historical sites in Afghanistan this year.
Khalili described insecurity and lack of proper facilities as the main hurdled before development of tourism industry in Afghanistan. “Insecurity has hurt the industry over the past three years. According to our information, only 650 to 700 tourists have visited historical sites over the past 11 months,” he said.
Khalili added that the ministry will soon devise a plan for development of tourism industry.
The remarks came at a time that recently President Ashraf Ghani directed officials in the MoIC to take all necessary measures to develop tourism.
Buddha sculptures and Band-e-Amir lakes in Bamiyan, Pamir national park in Badakhshan, historical sites in Ghazni and Herat as well as mountains and valleys in Nuristan are the main tourist attractions in Afghanistan.
Head of the religious and cultural affairs commission of Wolesi Jirga, Maulvi Muhammad Danishjo, also termed insecurity as the main obstacle before development of tourism industry.
“If the government pays more attention to this industry, it would not only help us in introducing our culture to the world, but would also become a good source of income,” he added.
