The Taliban government has been trying to promote “safe” tourism in Afghanistan for some time, it says, to revive the local economy and cleanse its image after the seizure of power in 2021. There are even travel agencies that plan everything in detail: they organize the places they are going to visit, where they are going to sleep and even what to eat.

“We have to guarantee the safety of travelers, and this is done with protocols that, depending on the destination, are adapted. In the specific case of Afghanistan, we need to know the situation of each of the regions we visit and visit only those that are safe“says Aníbal Bueno, partner of the ‘Last Places’ Agency.

It is mandatory that travelers sign a contract that includes the conditions of the destination, that is, that they know the sociopolitical situation from the country. Furthermore, the law requires them to have a liability insurance and of travel assistancewith repatriation in case of serious illness or death.

Joan Riera, owner of the ‘Last Places’ Agency, has visited Afghanistan five times since 2022. He is currently in Kabul, his first stop, with a group of foreign visitors. Riera says that they are “coordinating everything to prepare for the return of those who want to leave, and so that those who want to stay are aware of the situation.

Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs do not guarantee the safety of any tourist Spanish in Afghanistan, the number of people traveling to the country has increased in recent years. In 2021, there were almost 700 foreign tourists, a figure that tripled in 2022 and multiplied again in 2023, a year in which up to 7,000 visitors were registered. However, the Spanish Government recommends “not traveling under any circumstances” to Afghanistan due to “risk of kidnapping or attack throughout the country.”