Afghanistan is fast becoming an attractive tourist destination for foreigners given its rich history, culture and geographic location.

However, decades of war kept the country largely closed off to tourists, but now, two and a half years after the political change, tourist numbers among foreigners are growing.

Prior to the wars of the past 40 years, Afghanistan was a popular destination, with 90,000 foreigners having visited the country annually in the 1970s.

Today, however, tourists are starting to return.

The Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy writes that Afghanistan contains plenty of historical sites, multi-ethnic traditional cultures, multi-ethnic language settings, rich literature of Pashto, Dari, Uzbek, Turkmen, different social contexts, and terrific landscapes and locales including four seasons of the year for overseas visitors.

The country is slowly seeing a return of tourists but there are still some multidimensional challenges, including the absence of basic facilities and modern infrastructures, but these can be developed by the right kind of management, the ISDP reports.

The first foreigners to arrive in Afghanistan during this uptick in visitors came from European and Western countries such as the UK, Germany, France, the US, Australia, Canada, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, New Zealand, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Portugal, Ukraine, and Chili.

In addition, visitors from Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Iran, China, Japan, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, and other countries visited Afghanistan.

ISDP stated that when these tourists arrive in Afghanistan, they tend to wear traditional Afghan clothes, eat Afghan food, and learn about Afghan traditional customs, which is an excellent route for cultural growth.

The steady growth in foreign tourists to Afghanistan is primarily thanks to improved security and given the current situation, this sector looks likely to carry on growing – which will aid the country’s weak economy and lead to the creation of jobs and opportunities for Afghans.

However, the ISDP points out that Afghanistan needs a comprehensive policy framework to support and promote the tourism industry and cultural constituency of Afghanistan to attract more foreign tourists annually.

As such, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) should issue tourist visas for free and provide full security in the country for tourists to travel without any fear or threat.

Additionally, foreign tourists need facilities of value and convenience; national and local maps, travel guides, transportation, safety and security, suitable options for accommodation and upscale restaurants.

ISDP writes that despite economic challenges in Afghanistan, the government needs to revive the tourism industry and seek funds from UNESCO to promote the cultural and historical values of the country.

It is important to rebuild and repair ancient monuments, sculptures, old citadels, reputed mosques, ancient shrines and gardens, and other landmarks and archaeological remnants of ancient kingdoms, empires, and governments.

The government also needs to provide facilities around these sites, for example, roads, parks, restaurants, and entertainment services.

For this purpose, private and public sector partnerships are required to transform tourism back into a viable economic industry, ISDP writes.

A functional, specialized web portal should also be developed focusing on Afghanistan tourism and culture industry to offer an accurate picture.