KHOROG, September 5, 2014, Asia-Plus — A group of specialists and guides from the Pamirs Eco-Cultural Tourism Association (PECTA) have recently visited the Shighnan and Wakhan districts in Afghanistan Badakhshan province.
Mr. Kishvar Abdulalishoyev, Chairman of the PECTA Board of Directors, says the main purpose of the visit was for the PECTA specialists to study opportunities of the tourism cooperation with Afghan Badakhshan province.
“Many people, who want to visit Afghanistan Badakhshan, do not have information about tourism opportunities of this region,” said Abdulalishoyev.
According to him, many foreign tourists visiting Tajikistan’s Gorno Badakhshan also want to see Afghan Shighnan as well as the Little Pamir (a broad U-shaped grassy valley in the eastern part of the Wakhan in north-eastern Afghanistan) and the Great Pamir or Big Pamir (a broad U-shaped grassy valley in the eastern part of the Wakhan in north-eastern Afghanistan and the adjacent part of Tajikistan, in the Pamir Mountains). “These regions are available for tourists in terms of security,” Abdulalishoyev noted.
“To-date, tourists visiting Afghanistan have had the opportunity to visit only the administrative center of the Shighnan district and the Little Pamir and the Great Pamir. Meanwhile, our specialists have revealed that there are many tourist routes in those areas that could be interesting not only for foreign tourists but also for Tajik tourists,” the head of the PECTA Board of Directors noted.
Shakar Mamadshoyev, one of participants of the travel to Afghan Shighnan and Wakhan districts says both districts have elementary conditions to receive and serve foreign tourists.
Abdulalishoyev noted that the PECTA specialists would elaborate routes that could be used by both foreign and Tajik tourists.
The travel to the Shighnan and Wakhan districts in Afghanistan Badakhshan province has reportedly been organized within the framework of the USAID-funded Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Growth (SMEG) Project.
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for Central Asia’s economic growth but face challenges in four key areas. The SMEG project addresses each of these: investment; access to financing; business support services; and enabling environment. Focusing on Tajikistan, the project will study these areas for ways to support and increase regional economic integration within Tajikistan and across Central Asia.
The Pamirs Eco-Cultural Tourism Association (PECTA) was established in April 2008 with the support of the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), a project of the Aga Khan Foundation, and is a non-commercial organization which functions in accordance with the civil code, law about non-commercial organization and with the present legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan. PECTA is a member of the Tourism Coordination Council under the Local Government of GBAO and it delivers business services to member organizations in the Pamir Mountains.
