‘680 foreigners enter Afghanistan via Sher Khan Port this year’

KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Nearly 700 foreign tourists have entered Afghanistan so far this year via Sher Khan Port in northern Kunduz province, an official said on Wednesday.

Obaidullah Abidi,   consular officer of the Foreign Affairs Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News these visitors arrived in Afghanistan from different countries and visited historic sites and entertainment places in different cities of the country.

He said: “From the beginning of this year 680 foreign tourists have entered Afghanistan via Sher Khan Port and we have issue them visas, they later visited different historic and entertainment places in Afghanistan.”

He linked surge in the number of foreign tourists with improved security in the country.

Jalil Eid Qurban, one of the tourists from Kazakistan, said he searched in social media platforms about Afghanistan and decided to visit interesting places in Afghanistan especially in Badakhshan and Kunduz province.

Economic Affairs Experts believed that surge in the number of tourists could help create jobs and improve the overall economic situation.

Mohammad Umar Kunduzi, one of the economic affairs experts, said: “The arrival of foreign tourists to Afghanistan leads to economic growth, shopkeepers, drivers, and hoteliers get more opportunities to work. When a tourist enters Afghanistan, he spends money, which grows the national economy.”

This comes that after the IEA takeover the number of foreign tourists visiting Afghanistan has increased.

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