Afghan Beauty Spot Dreams of Tourism Return

Afghanistan's spectacular Bamiyan valley fears the troop withdrawal will mean a return to the tourism boom years is even further away.

Published

2 months ago

Categories

World, Lifestyle

Topics

Asia, Travel & Tourism

Places

Afghanistan, Bamiyan Valley

Transcript

SCRIPT: The Bamiyan Valley in Central Afghanistan is renowned for its giant alcoves, where for 1,500 years the world's largest Buddah statues contemplated the scenery, until the Taliban blew them up. Compared to most of the country, Bamiyan Province has been relatively peaceful during the past decade of Western military intervention. But last year, 23 people died in attacks linked to the Taliban insurgency. SOUNDBITE 1 Habiba Sorabi (woman), Bamiyan Governor (English, 15 sec): "Yes, it is isolated events, it happens sometimes, as I said, that there are some small parts of Bamiyan that have the border with others provinces which are problematic areas." The violence that has ravaged Afghanistan for generations has understandably put off many potential tourists. However, the region certainly has much to offer those intrepid enough to come: pristine mountains on the legendary Silk Road. And near Bamiyan lie the sapphire-blue lakes of Band-e-Amir, Afghanistan's first designated national park. SOUNDBITE 2 Ivana Odic (woman), Slovenian tourist (English, 23 sec): "I find them really beautiful, here you can find everything from small hills to 7,000ers so, it is really interesting place to go, to do some horse riding, cycling, mountaineering even alpine expeditions can be done here. So this place really has a lot of potential." But in addition to security concerns, visitors must contend with a lack of decent infrastructure. Deep in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, this valley's now accessible only by air, and then a long drive. As a result, this hotel hasn't yet seen a single tourist all winter. SOUNDBITE 3 Najiba (woman), guest house owner (Dari, 12 sec): "Now our tourists are mostly Afghans in the spring. There is lack of international tourism here, and tourists are not coming in Band-e-Amir anymore." The valley is populated by Hazara Shia Muslims, who suffered great persecution under the Taliban. Some here remember the heady 1960s and 70s when Bamiyan was a must-do stop on the so-called Hippy Trail. But with the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan around the corner, and an uncertain future ahead, a tourism boom here may still be many years away. SHOTLIST: BAMIYAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN, FEB 28, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV - Various shots of the Bamiyan Valley - Various shots of the Buddhas caves - Various shots of mountain valley VALLEY OF SHAHIDAN, BAMIYAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN, MAR 1, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV - SOUNDBITE 1 BAMIYAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN, MAR 2, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV - Various shots of Band-e-Amir - Various shots of lakes - Various shots of Ivana Odic walking on trails Band-e-Amir - SOUNDBITE 2 - Various shots of vertices of Band-e-Amir - Various shots of the guest house Najiba - SOUNDBITE 3 BAMIYAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN, FEB 28, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV - Various shots of the city of Bamiyan BAMIYAN PROVINCE, AFGANISTAN, MAR 2, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV - Various shots of Ivana Odic taking photo to Band-e-Amir ///