Beautiful Afghanistan |
The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, appointed Ghulam Nabi Farahi as Minister of State for Tourism through a Presidential Decree. The Decree states that the new Minister has been appointed for developing and expanding tourism, attracting investments, and introducing the historic culture of the country. Afghanistan is a landlocked country with beautiful natural scenery and historical sites which have long been attracting tourists from around the globe. However, the increasing violence and corruption in the country has resulted in a drastic decline in the number of tourists coming to Afghanistan. Kidnapping, hostage taking, landmines, militant attacks, suicide bombings, attacks by Vehicle borne IEDs (VBIEDs) or other IED devices, pose a major threat to the Tourism Industry of Afghanistan. According to UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) data, the amount of expenditure by foreign tourists in Afghanistan was estimated at USD 168,000,000 in 2012, but the amount has drastically reduced to 91,000,000 two years later in 2014.