1,500 foreign tourists visit Balkh this year

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): As many as 1,500 foreign tourists have visited northern Balkh province over the last nine months of the current solar year, an official said on Wednesday.

Abdul Wahid Ahadi, director of tourism at the Information and Culture Department, linked the surge in the number of foreign tourists to the restoration of security in the province.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News about 1,500 tourists from over 100 countries visited historical, cultural and ancient sites of the province over the last nine months.

He recalled about 1,000 tourists had travelled to the province last year. Most of the tourists came from the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Romania, Italy, Germany, Spain, France and other countries.

The director added they visited the Shrine of Hazrat Ali (Rawza) in Mazar-i-Sharif and several historical monuments in Balkh district.

He revealed about 15 well-equipped tourist hotels were functioning across the province, offering all necessary facilities.

Meanwhile, several foreign tourists voiced satisfaction with their experience in Afghanistan, especially in Balkh province.

Ben Woman, a South Korean national who visited Balkh province, told Pajhwok: “Afghanistan is blessed with bountiful natural beauty and its people are very hospitable.”

She added: "We heard a lot about Afghanistan from western media, portraying it as unsafe and deprived of everything. But we were surprised to see such a country and realise the fallacy of external perceptions."

Smith Wood, a tourist from the Netherlands, said: “I have travelled to many countries and had the intention to visit Afghanistan for several years. Finally, I managed to see this country up close. I want other foreign tourists to visit Afghanistan.”

kk/mud