HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Foreign tourists traveling to western Herat province say no work has been done to promote the tourism industry in the province and it needs a regular solution.
Speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News, Kanchan, a Chinese tourist who arrived in Herat province with a team of six people, said although facilities such as security and stability had been ensured, the tourism industry in Herat needed more promotion to attract foreign tourists.
Happy to have come to Herat, he said after visiting the minarets, Akhtar al-Din Fort and Grand Mosque, he realized the Afghan government should to pay more attention to the restoration of these tourist sites.
Zamaske, another tourist from Russia, said Afghanistan was a peaceful and comfortable place for travel and tourism.
He said: "In order to compete with European countries and attract tourists to Afghanistan, the industry needs marketing, which can be achieved in different ways."
The Russian tourist said social media could be used to promote tourism and introduce tourist attractions.
Social and cultural experts echoed the tourists’ accounts and said the government should provide necessary facilities to tourists so they leave the country with excellent memories.
Muslim Marawi, an expert in cultural affairs, said: "In this regard, we can take samples or experience from developed countries and grow the tourism industry in the country.”
He said collecting information about historic monuments and publishing it in different but world-famous languages and creating necessary facilities for tourists could help attract more tourists to Herat province.
However, Herat Information and Culture department officials say they have provided necessary facilities for tourists and are trying to prepare more information in different languages.
Maulvi Rahmatullah Mohammadi, tourism director at the department, said they have a tourism website in their marketing section besides YouTubers to introduce historical places.
Mohammadi said necessary facilities were place for tourists and in the near future, modern and well-equipped hotels would be readied for tourists.
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