In recent years, a surprising trend has emerged in the world of travel: influencers are flocking to Afghanistan, a country long synonymous with conflict and instability, to showcase its landscapes, culture, and hospitality. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, Afghanistan has seen a modest but noticeable uptick in foreign visitors. According to the Associated Press, nearly 9,000 foreigners visited Afghanistan in 2024, with an additional 3,000 arriving in the first three months of 2025. This surge, driven in part by travel influencers and adventure-seeking tourists, has sparked both fascination and controversy. While these visitors highlight the country’s natural beauty and hospitality, critics argue that their curated content risks whitewashing the harsh realities of life under Taliban rule, particularly for Afghan women. This article explores the phenomenon of travel influencers boosting tourism to Taliban-run Afghanistan, examining the motivations, impacts, and ethical dilemmas surrounding this trend.
The Rise of Taliban Tourism
Afghanistan has a rich history and stunning geography that have long attracted adventurous travelers. From the rugged peaks of the Hindu Kush to the ancient Buddhist sites of Bamiyan and the vibrant bazaars of Kabul, the country offers a wealth of cultural and natural treasures. In the 1970s, Afghanistan was a popular stop on the “Hippie Trail,” drawing thousands of tourists annually. However, decades of war, political turmoil, and violence decimated its tourism industry, reducing visitor numbers to a trickle. By 2021, only 691 foreign tourists visited the country.
The Taliban’s takeover in 2021, while catastrophic for many Afghans, particularly women and girls, brought a significant reduction in violence compared to the preceding decades of conflict. This relative stability, combined with improved flight connections to hubs like Dubai and Istanbul, has made Afghanistan more accessible to foreigners. The Taliban government, eager to improve its international image and bolster the economy, has actively encouraged tourism. They’ve established a training institute for men in hospitality and tourism, issued tourist visas with relative ease, and even promoted the country through social media, often resharing influencer content.
Travel influencers, particularly those catering to niche audiences seeking offbeat destinations, have seized this opportunity. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are now filled with videos showcasing Afghanistan’s “hidden gems.” Influencers like Margaritta, who traveled solo for three months, and Geenyada Abdi have posted glowing reviews, describing Afghanistan as a safe and welcoming destination. These influencers often highlight interactions with locals, scenic landscapes, and cultural experiences, challenging stereotypes of Afghanistan as a dangerous, war-torn nation. For example, Margaritta claimed she was “treated like a queen” and suggested that traveling as a woman in Afghanistan can be safer than as a man due to cultural norms around protecting women.
The Taliban themselves have capitalized on this trend, with accounts linked to the regime sharing promotional videos that blend scenic beauty with military imagery. One notable video by Yosaf Aryubi, founder of Raza Afghanistan, a Kabul-based tour agency, begins with a staged scene mimicking a hostage situation, only to reveal a smiling tourist giving a thumbs-up and saying, “Welcome to Afghanistan!” This bizarre mix of dark humor and travel vlog aesthetics has gone viral, sparking both intrigue and outrage.
The Appeal of Adventure Tourism
The allure of Afghanistan for travel influencers lies in its status as an unconventional, high-risk destination. In an era where social media thrives on unique experiences, visiting a country like Afghanistan offers significant “bragging rights.” Influencers like Miles Routledge, a British student who visited in 2021 after seeing Afghanistan on a list of dangerous places, embody this thrill-seeking ethos. Routledge’s trip, which coincided with the fall of Kabul, ended with his evacuation by the British army, but his story garnered significant attention online. Similarly, creators like Saumure, whose YouTube channel “Seal on Tour” has 650,000 subscribers, have documented their trips, emphasizing the “testosterone-fueled” atmosphere and interactions with Taliban members, whom they jokingly call “Talibros.”
For some influencers, the appeal is not just about adventure but also about challenging Western media narratives. They argue that mainstream portrayals of Afghanistan focus solely on conflict and oppression, ignoring the country’s beauty and the warmth of its people. By showcasing markets, mountains, and friendly locals, they aim to present a “different side” of Afghanistan. Additionally, some influencers, like Australian tour guide Paris Hailwood, claim that tourism injects much-needed cash into the local economy, directly benefiting small businesses like restaurants and hotels.
The Taliban’s relaxed restrictions on foreign women also make the country more appealing to female influencers. While Afghan women face severe limitations—banned from education beyond sixth grade, public spaces like parks, and most employment—foreign women are generally allowed to move freely, provided they wear a headscarf and adhere to basic modesty guidelines. This disparity allows influencers like Margaritta to explore Afghanistan with relative freedom, creating content that contrasts sharply with the lived experiences of local women.
The Ethical Controversy
While influencers may see themselves as cultural ambassadors or economic benefactors, their presence in Afghanistan has ignited fierce debate. Critics, including Afghan activists and scholars, argue that these curated travelogues whitewash the Taliban’s brutal policies, particularly their systemic oppression of women and girls. The Taliban’s restrictions, described as “gender apartheid” by critics like Orzala Nemat, a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), include bans on women’s education, employment, and unaccompanied travel. In July 2025, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders for persecuting women and girls, charges the regime dismissed.
Orzala Nemat has been vocal about the dangers of influencer-driven tourism, stating, “What we’re seeing instead is a curated, sanitized version of the country that conveniently erases the brutal realities faced by Afghan women under Taliban rule.” She argues that videos showing smiling Afghan women in the background should not be mistaken for contentment, as they obscure the lack of agency and freedom these women experience. Similarly, Nazifa Haqpal, a UK-based Afghan researcher, described life under the Taliban as “dark, bleak, and ugly,” accusing influencers of distorting reality.
Exiled Afghan activists like Dr. Farkhondeh Akbari, whose family fled the Taliban in the 1990s, express pain at seeing tourists exploit Afghanistan for social media clout while Afghan women remain trapped. “Our pains and our sufferings are being whitewashed,” Akbari told the BBC, highlighting the ethical dilemma of tourism that indirectly legitimizes a regime responsible for human rights abuses. Critics also point out that the Taliban’s promotion of tourism serves as soft propaganda, allowing the regime to project an image of normalcy and stability while deflecting attention from its repressive policies.
The case of Whitney Wright, an American adult film star who visited Afghanistan in March 2025, exemplifies this controversy. Wright’s Instagram posts, showing her in Afghan attire and posing with a rifle at tourist sites, drew sharp criticism from Afghan citizens who condemned the Taliban for granting foreign women access to public spaces while denying local women the same rights. One critic called the situation “fundamentally hypocritical,” highlighting the stark contrast between the experiences of foreign influencers and Afghan women.
Risks and Realities
Despite the rosy picture painted by influencers, traveling to Afghanistan remains fraught with risks. The U.S. State Department, along with the European Union and Britain, has issued strict travel advisories, warning against all travel due to terrorism, crime, and the risk of wrongful detention. The absence of operational embassies in Kabul further limits consular support for stranded or detained tourists. In May 2024, an attack by the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) in Bamiyan killed six people, including three Spanish tourists, underscoring the ongoing security threats.
Ross Thomson, CEO of evacuation specialist Covac Global, described Afghanistan as a “deeply complex environment” suitable only for advanced travelers who understand its risks. Many influencers travel with Taliban-approved guides, which ensures a controlled experience but limits their exposure to the country’s realities. Nasima Kakae, a former Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs employee now running a travel agency in Melbourne, criticized influencers for staying in “beautiful hotels” and being escorted by the Taliban, without witnessing the plight of imprisoned activists or shuttered schools.
Moreover, the economic benefits of tourism are questionable. While influencers like Paris Hailwood argue that their spending directly supports local businesses, critics like Orzala Nemat contend that tourism profits risk financially sustaining the Taliban regime. Afghanistan’s economy remains dire, with widespread poverty and unemployment, and the trickle of tourist dollars is unlikely to reach the most vulnerable populations, such as widows and orphans.
The Taliban’s Tourism Strategy
The Taliban’s enthusiasm for tourism is strategic. Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal has emphasized the economic and diplomatic benefits, noting that tourism “reaches more layers of society” than other industries and fosters cultural exchange. The regime has invested in infrastructure, such as a tourism and hospitality training institute in Kabul, though it is exclusively for men due to restrictions on women’s education. The Taliban also promotes specific sites, like Bamiyan’s Band-e-Amir National Park, though Afghan women are banned from visiting it.
Social media plays a central role in this strategy. The Taliban and affiliated accounts amplify influencer content, such as Yosaf Aryubi’s viral video, to project a positive image. However, experts like Dr. Ibraheem Bahiss argue that the Taliban often miscalculate what appeals to global audiences, as evidenced by the backlash to videos blending scenic beauty with militant imagery.
Balancing Cultural Exchange and Ethical Responsibility
The debate over tourism in Afghanistan raises broader questions about the role of travel in politically sensitive contexts. Some, like Professor Novelli, who sits on an international tourism ethics board, argue that boycotting Afghanistan isolates it further and that tourism can foster cross-cultural understanding. She points to Saudi Arabia, where tourism has expanded women’s roles, as a potential model. Others, like Sarah Baharaki, a UN Global Youth Representative, urge influencers to avoid creating narratives that suggest normalcy, emphasizing the need to highlight ongoing human rights violations.
For travelers like Illary Gomez and James Liddiard, who drove through Afghanistan on a camper van journey, the experience was about connecting with locals and supporting small businesses, not endorsing the Taliban. Yet, the optics of foreigners enjoying freedoms denied to Afghans complicate this narrative. As Dr. Akbari notes, the contrast between tourists’ freedom and Afghan women’s confinement is a painful reminder of inequality.
Conclusion
The rise of travel influencers in Taliban-run Afghanistan reflects a complex interplay of adventure, economics, and ethics. While these influencers bring attention to Afghanistan’s beauty and hospitality, their curated content often glosses over the regime’s oppressive policies, particularly toward women. The Taliban’s embrace of tourism, amplified through social media, serves as both an economic lifeline and a propaganda tool, raising questions about the true beneficiaries of this trend. As tourism numbers grow—albeit modestly—travelers and influencers must grapple with the ethical implications of their visits, balancing the desire for cultural exchange with the responsibility to acknowledge Afghanistan’s harsh realities. For now, the glossy travel vlogs and the grim realities of Taliban rule coexist uneasily, leaving observers to ponder whether this tourism boom is a step toward openness or a distraction from ongoing suffering.
