Travel influencers boost tourism to Taliban-run Afghanistan
There are also moral and ethical dilemmas, she added, because profits from tourism risk indirectly legitimizing and financially sustaining a regime that has institutionalized 'gender apartheid.'
As for videos from influencers that show Afghan women smiling in the background, Orzala said, 'This should never be confused with contentment or consent to the current reality.'
'This is not cultural exchange; it's neocolonial tourism dressed up as adventure,' she added.
Visitors to Afghanistan are still in the low thousands as the war-torn country tries to rebuild its image under strict Taliban-run Islamic laws and customs. Nearly 9,000 foreigners visited in 2024, while nearly 3,000 visited in the first three months of this year, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Along with travel influencers, some tourism companies are creating jaw-dropping videos that have since been reshared by Taliban accounts on social media in a bid to attract more visitors.
One outlandish 50-second video made by vlogger Yosaf Aryubi begins with an eerie scene of three people with bags over their heads, presumed to be held hostage by the men standing behind them, who are dressed like the Taliban with rifles slung 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.
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It was just like, wow, oh my God, I love this life," she said In addition to modeling, she also built a successful career in show business, working as a TV presenter and appearing in numerous Thai movies and TV shows. Her fast-paced lifestyle lasted nearly a decade before she began to feel burned out and decided to slow down. In her mid-thirties, she got married and later had her son, who is now 16 and a competitive swimmer. The marriage ended in a divorce, but she still co-parents with her ex. In recent years, she's served as a mentor and judge on modeling reality shows and has coached contestants in the Miss Universe Thailand pageant. In 2021, she established a modeling academy with her brother called Muse by Metinee. "We use runway modeling as a tool to help people gain confidence. So our youngest student is 4 years old, and my oldest student, who is still with us, is 59," Kingpayome said. Many of her students are kids who have been bullied or who have low self-esteem, and seeing them break out of their shells and become more confident has been rewarding, she added. Since pageantry is still big in Thailand, she also coaches men, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who aspire to compete. The academy has since expanded to include a modeling agency. Jack Titus, the winner of Mister Model International 2025, who also grew up straddling both American and Thai cultures, told BI that his training at the academy was "the backbone" of his performance in the pageant. "From the way we walked to the way we spoke, every moment was designed to prepare us for the world stage," Titus said. "The discipline, presence, and emotional resilience I gained at Muse played a massive role in that win." Thailand, always Over three decades later, Kingpayome is still one of Thailand's biggest stars. Parisa Pichitmarn, a millennial journalist based in Bangkok, told BI that she has always admired Kingpayome. "She comes across as a strong woman who's professional and also doesn't take any crap," Pichitmarn said. Manorat Sangsuk, a Thai Gen X finance specialist, told BI that in the '90s, a lot of the models were half Western and half Thai, and having someone who "just looked Thai" was refreshing. "She's pretty cool in her own way — you know, not like sweet, gentle, traditional Thai type." It's hard to say whether Kingpayome would have enjoyed the same level of success if she had stayed in the US. "Because you're a tiny fish in a big pond, whereas in Thailand, I was a big fish in a tiny pond. So it was very different," she said. These days, Kingpayome lives in Bangkok and considers herself to be more Thai than American. "When I go back to America, I feel I'm visiting. I don't feel like it's home," she said. She used to visit the US more often, especially when her son was younger. But now, with her mother and two of her brothers living in Thailand, there's less reason to return. Only one brother remains in New York, still living in the Queens apartment they all grew up in. Years from now, Kingpayome says she might end up living by the beach, running a small bed-and-breakfast. Or she might move to wherever her son decides to live when he gets older. "But I think my life is in Thailand," she added.
