Afghanistan may not be the primary vacation spot that involves thoughts for many travellers, however a wave of influencers is attempting to alter that.
Travel vloggers have flocked to the central Asian nation, flooding social media with content material showcasing the nation’s huge landscapes, wealthy historical past and famend hospitality.
That’s regardless of the Taliban seizing energy greater than 4 years in the past and rolling again human rights — significantly for girls.
The development has drawn sharp criticism from human rights teams, who argue the creators threat legitimising the Taliban regime, which was deemed by the United Nations in 2023 to be the “most repressive” authorities for women and girls.
But others imagine accountable tourism may assist reshape the notion of the war-torn nation, which is commonly portrayed in a unfavourable gentle.
Tourism booming below Taliban
Since the withdrawal of US troops in August 2021, Afghanistan’s tourism trade has reportedly skilled a surge, with Taliban officers claiming 14,500 overseas vacationers visited within the three years to December 2024.
While the Taliban has inspired tourism as a income, rights teams say this comes on the expense of transparency and security, with little infrastructure or authorized safety for guests.
International businesses warn the safety state of affairs stays unstable, with three Spanish vacationers and three Afghans killed in a terror assault by a regional department of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group in May 2024.
Despite this, a rising variety of influencers proceed to go to, together with Keith Sinclair, an American driving around the globe in a muscle automobile.
Keith Sinclair (left) described having a “lovely first encounter” with the Taliban. Source: Instagram / sinclairs_search
In posts to his greater than 300,000 Instagram followers, Sinclair is seen holding an assault rifle whereas posing beside Taliban members.
He additionally described having a “lovely first encounter” with the Taliban, whereas additionally criticising the group for its anti-LBGTIQ+ beliefs and restrictions on girls.
American YouTuber Addison Pierre Maalouf, who has almost two million subscribers, has gone additional, falsely telling viewers Afghan girls “have more rights than men”.
Experts say Afghanistan seemingly has the worst girls’s rights document on the earth because the Taliban returned to energy in August 2021. Source: AP / Ebrahim Noroozi
Another journey vlogger, Kieran Brown, inspired his Instagram followers to guide a “lads’ trip to Afghanistan”.
“Forget Ibiza or Marbella, why don’t you and the boys go to Afghanistan this summer?” he posted to his almost 150,000 followers.
‘Very darkish image’
Human Rights Watch researcher Fereshta Abbasi mentioned such posts are “very harmful” and misrepresent life for girls below the Taliban.
“It’s a very dark picture,” she advised SBS News.
Since the Taliban returned to energy in August 2021, Abbasi mentioned Afghanistan seemingly had the worst girls’s rights document on the earth.
“Women do not have access to freedom of movement, expression, freedom of assembly,” Abbasi mentioned.
She identified feminine voices had been virtually completely absent from influencer content material.
“Most of these bloggers who are going to Afghanistan, they are not allowed to talk about bans on women’s right to education, bans on women’s access to employment. They’re not talking about any of this,” she mentioned.
“If you cannot reflect that full picture, I think it’s better not to show.”
It’s that inevitable destiny that pressured Sydney pupil Gul Afroz Mohammadi to flee to Australia.
She was in India on a short lived scholarship when she heard concerning the fall of Kabul, destroying her plans to return dwelling to her household.
Gul Afroz Mohammadi was pressured to flee to Australia after the Taliban took over. Source: SBS News
The information got here simply earlier than her closing examination.
“The students were so upset, we didn’t even know what to write on our exam papers. All the girls were crying. It was a horrible time,” she mentioned.
Mohammadi mentioned the message some influencers are sending about Afghanistan is skewed.
“[The Taliban] don’t place the same restrictions on these people that they do on ethnic minorities and women in Afghanistan on these YouTubers. They spend a few days there and think it’s always like this,” she mentioned.
Women-only excursions
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) advises Australians to not journey to Afghanistan because of the excessive threat of terrorism, kidnapping and arbitrary detention.
But that hasn’t deterred Sydney-based tour information Paris Hailwood, who runs women-only journeys to Afghanistan.
She advised SBS News she promotes accountable tourism, which doesn’t draw back from the realities of the Taliban, whereas additionally offering a much-needed increase to the nation’s economic system.
“The purpose [is] … obviously not to dispel the negative image of the Taliban,” she mentioned.
“That’s very much present and a part of the conversation.”
Paris Hailwood mentioned her women-only excursions to Afghanistan promote accountable tourism. Source: SBS News
Hailwood mentioned it was necessary for individuals to type their very own opinions concerning the nation, noting she had been welcomed regardless of Australia’s involvement within the United States-led conflict.
“It’s a country that we’ve heard so much about, and people really now have the opportunity to go and see it free of weapons and tanks and drones,” she mentioned.
She has crossed paths with influencers and mentioned she believed some had been exploiting Afghan guides and fixers to seize content material, leaving them weak to Taliban reprisals.
“They leave knowing they’re never going to come back because they’ve got all the footage they need.”