Orzala from RUSI highlighted a stark contrast, pointing out that while influencers with Western nationality enjoy the freedom to wander, take photos, and gain fame online, Afghan women are deprived of such liberties. They are not allowed to attend schools, work, or even move freely in public unless accompanied by male guardians.

She also mentioned the moral and ethical issues, noting that tourism profits might inadvertently validate and financially support a regime that practices “gender apartheid.”

Orzala cautioned against misinterpreting influencer videos showing Afghan women smiling in the background, emphasizing that this should not be mistaken as satisfaction or agreement with their current situation.

“This is not cultural exchange; it’s neocolonial tourism dressed up as adventure,” she added.

Afghanistan still sees relatively few visitors, as the nation attempts to reconstruct its reputation under the stringent Islamic rules enforced by the Taliban. In 2024, almost 9,000 visitors came to the country, with about 3,000 in the first quarter of this year, as per a report by The Associated Press.

Besides travel influencers, some tourism businesses are producing captivating videos that have been reposted by Taliban accounts on social media, aiming to draw more tourists.

A striking 50-second video by vlogger Yosaf Aryubi starts with a chilling scene of three individuals with bags over their heads, seemingly taken hostage by men clad like the Taliban, with rifles over their shoulders.

“We have one message for America,” one of the armed men says, before pulling the bag off one of the hostages, only to reveal a grinning tourist who gives a thumbs-up and says, “Welcome to Afghanistan!”

The video then cuts to male tourists diving into scenic lakes and walking through waterfalls, and even holding M4 rifles that are revealed to be replicas.

Not every influencer sees Afghanistan in that way. In another video, YouTuber Nolan Saumure, whose channel Seal on Tour has 650,000 subscribers, acknowledges that he only interacted with men during his trip there.

In a 35-minute video titled “Afghanistan Has Too Much Testosterone,” Saumure spins the camera around to show a large crowd of Afghan men swarming him.

“It’s a complete sausage fest in here,” he says.