Afghanistan, before becoming known mostly for guns and bombs, was a popular tourist destination, not only to the world’s “hippie” generation, but also as an attraction for those living in the region. Band-e Amir, which you may have heard of most recently in the news as it has become Afghanistan’s first National Park in April 2009, was actually meant to become a National Park in the 1960s, but political instability has put any development of the destination on hold until now.

By Shams Uddin, Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) – Chitral, in the extreme north of Pakistan, is home to 40,000 people, settled in more than 300 small villages boasting great cultural and natural diversity. These villages offer unique opportunities highlighting Indigenous arts, crafts and music, traditional sports, cuisine, and the fascinating local way of life. CAMAT has been promoting community-based, culturally-rooted and environmentally-friendly tourism in Chitral for the last one and a half decade.

By Ian MacWilliam, Communications Officer, Aga Khan Development Network – Tourism in Afghanistan? It’s not what you expect from this remote and beautiful, but troubled Central Asian nation. Most media reports on Afghanistan talk of war and bloodshed, insurgents and explosive devices. What they rarely report is that most of the northern half of the country is in fact quite peaceful and that reconstruction and development are moving forward. A trickle of adventurous tourists is already arriving in Afghanistan, reminding Afghans of the heady days of the 1960s and 1970s

In June, Dream Nepal Travel & Tours organized a three-day outdoor rural tourism program in Nagarkot (33km north east of Kathmandu) for the students of Silver Mountain School of Hospitality Management (SMSHM). Working with tourism colleges, Dream Nepal organizes these trips across Nepal, encouraging education and capacity building through outdoor activities. As part of the SMSHM program, the students prepared presentations on their skills and what they have learned about setting up tourism and hospitality enterprises.

There is plenty of adventure in the great outdoors of Brazil. The adventure tourism industry has grown a lot and, since 2005, Brazil is investing heavily in improving the quality and safety of its adventure tourism product. Here are some ideas of what you can do and where you can do it in Brazil. For those who like their shot of adrenaline in wild and beautiful natural areas, Brazil offers many interesting technical climbs. Hiking and trekking are popular all over Brazil and there are endless possibilities. Brazil has 29 peaks over 2.300 meters, and many of them are located in National Parks.