KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani says the tourism sector in Afghanistan needs to be revived as it could draw millions of visitors a year, TOLOnews agency reports.
President Ashraf Ghani on July 23 reassured the people of Afghanistan that peace and security will come to the country, and called for the revival of Afghanistan’s tourism industry to be used as a source against terrorism.
Ghani made the remarks during a scientific and research seminar in Kabul on challenges facing the tourism industry.
He said that Afghanistan could become a popular tourism destination and that it had the capacity to host up to five million tourists a year.
The seminar which was organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture aimed to find ways to develop Afghanistan’s tourism industry.
“If the people think that it is early, I would say that it is not early, be prepared, peace, stability and prosperity will come,” said Ghani.
At the conference, the president called on those working in the tourism sector to outline their recommendations and proposals which could boost the tourism industry in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has already signed an agreement with France which aims to draw up a list of Afghanistan’s historical monuments and heritage sites.
“Tourism is a soft industry and we need security for it,” said Mohammad Rasul Bawari, the acting minister of information and culture.
Statistics of the Ministry of Information and Culture shows that last year Afghanistan generated $25 million revenue from the tourism industry.
Foreign tourism is virtually non-existent but local tourists have access to about 120 guesthouses across the country, which in turn provides jobs for an estimated 6,000 people.
