KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) —
Around 30 men are crammed into a Kabul classroom, part of the debut student cohort at a Taliban-run institute training tourism and hospitality professionals.
It’s a motley crew. One student is a model. Another is 17 and has no job history.
The students vary in age, education level and professional experience. They’re all men — Afghan women are banned from studying beyond sixth grade — and they don’t know anything about tourism or hospitality. But they are all eager to promote a different side of Afghanistan. And the Taliban are happy to help.
Afghanistan’s rulers are pariahs on the global stage, largely because of their restrictions on women and girls. The economy is struggling, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is rife.
And yet, foreigners are visiting the country, encouraged by the sharp drop in violence, increased flight connections with hubs like Dubai, and the bragging rights that come with vacationing in an unusual destination. The numbers aren’t huge — they never were — but there’s a buzz around Afghan tourism.
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
Jury finds Honolulu's former top prosecutor and 5 others not guilty in a federal bribery case
Elon Musk arrives in Indonesia's Bali to launch Starlink satellite internet service
Devout Christian doctor, 68, who punched dementia
Chinese books attract global attention at Italy's biggest book fair
Bayer Leverkusen complete UNBEATEN Bundesliga season under Xabi Alonso as they beat Augsburg 2
A man investigated in the deaths of women in northwest Oregon has been indicted in 3 killings
Young Boys seals 6th Swiss soccer league title in 7 years after rallying from firing coach Wicky