Afghanistan and Pakistan at ITB Berlin 2026 as an “open war” rages on the border
A week ahead of one of the world’s most important tourism trade fairs, ITB Berlin 2026, Afghanistan and Pakistan are preparing promotional appearances in the German capital, highlighting culture, heritage, and adventure tourism. At the same time, however, their shared border is seeing the most severe armed escalation in the past few years, with cross-border attacks, artillery, and air strikes. The contrast between the messages the two countries are sending to the tourism industry and the images of conflict filling headlines threatens to overshadow all marketing plans and turn trade-fair booths into a stage for crisis diplomacy.
ITB Berlin 2026 takes place from 3 to 5 March 2026 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, with official opening events and the conference programme starting on 2 March. This year’s edition marks the fair’s 60th anniversary and brings thousands of exhibitors, national tourism organisations, tour operators, airlines, and travel technology companies to Berlin. In such an environment, a destination’s presence is usually an opportunity to strike deals with international buyers, sign contracts, and position itself in the market. However, when security, borders, and political relations are directly called into question, tourism becomes the first industry to feel the consequences, and reputational risk quickly outweighs any brochure or video.
A fair that brings together the global industry – and the political issues that follow it
In recent years, ITB Berlin has increasingly positioned itself as a place where, alongside selling travel products, the broader context of travel is discussed: security, climate change, sustainability, digitalisation, and geopolitical crises. For 2026, organisers stress that, alongside the exhibition, an extensive ITB Berlin Convention conference will take place with several hundred speakers and thematic “tracks”, including new content dedicated to artificial intelligence in tourism. The programme also announces high-level meetings, including a United Nations tourism ministers’ summit, further strengthening the event’s political dimension.
That is precisely why the Afghanistan–Pakistan case arrives at an awkward moment. While Berlin is expected to project a message of “balance” and tourism resilience in the face of crises, on the same map, just a few thousand kilometres away, a new flashpoint is opening. Because of this, many international buyers – from European tour operators to specialised adventure travel agencies – will likely ask very practical questions: is travel possible, what is insurance like, what do government advisories say, are border crossings operating, and are there risks of sudden airspace closures and disruptions to logistics.
Border escalation: air strikes, artillery, and disputes over figures
According to the Associated Press, in the last days of February 2026 Pakistan carried out air and artillery strikes on targets in Afghanistan, while Afghan authorities and Taliban officials simultaneously claim they responded with attacks and by seizing certain positions. Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif publicly said Pakistan is in a state of “open war” with Afghanistan, a formulation that pushes routine border incidents into the political territory of outright war between two states.
The centre of the conflict is the area along the so-called Durand Line, a disputed border that Afghanistan has historically not recognised as a permanent settlement, while Pakistan insists on an internationally recognised demarcation line. In practice, it is a mountainous belt with numerous crossings, trade routes, and communities linked by family ties and the economy, which is why any escalation very quickly affects civilians and commerce.
The number of dead and injured remains contested. Pakistan and Afghanistan present mutually contradictory figures in public statements about losses, alongside accusations of attacks on military targets and claims of civilian casualties. In such an environment, verifying numbers is difficult, and international organisations and parts of the media urge caution in interpretation. Still, even without full verification, the scale of the exchange of fire and the intensity of the strikes indicate a serious crisis that exceeds the usual level of border tension.
Closed crossings and trade paralysis: when security becomes an economic issue
The conflict does not stop at the military level. According to an NPR report on conditions along key routes, prolonged closures and restrictions at border crossings have already been hindering trade and traffic for months, with truck drivers and logistics companies among the first to feel the blow. Torkham, one of the most important crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, is often cited as the point where a traffic shutdown immediately spills over into prices, supply, and local residents’ income. When the border closes, the effects spread from cement and fuel to food and medicines, and a range of sectors becomes vulnerable to new price spikes.
For tourism, this is particularly sensitive. Travel packages depend on predictability, open borders, and stable air traffic. If the conflict leads to temporary bans or security restrictions, even the “adventure tourism” segment – which often relies on lighter infrastructure and more flexibility – loses a basic assumption: that travel is feasible without extraordinary risks.
Tourism as “soft power”, but also as a litmus test of stability
Why would two countries appear at a tourism fair in the midst of conflict at all? In international practice, tourism often acts as an instrument of “soft power”: destinations build an image, seek investment, open up to international partners, and try to shift the focus from security crises to culture and natural attractions. However, when an armed conflict unfolds in parallel, the message can turn against the sender: instead of a “safe and attractive destination”, the market sees red alarms.
In that sense, the framework of official travel advisories is also crucial. In an updated advisory dated 20 February 2026, the U.S. State Department keeps Afghanistan at the highest warning level, “Level 4: Do Not Travel”, citing risks of violence, terrorism, kidnapping, and limited health-care capacity. The UK FCDO also publishes security assessments and recommendations for Afghanistan on its official pages, emphasising that the situation can change quickly. For Pakistan, the State Department throughout 2026 highlights increased risks in certain areas, including advisories linked to terrorism and the possibility of armed conflict, alongside specific security notes from the U.S. mission in Pakistan in early February.
Such documents directly affect market behaviour: travel insurance can become more expensive or unavailable, airlines and tour operators impose restrictions, and business buyers at B2B fairs become more cautious about signing contracts that could expose them to reputational risk.
Pakistan in Berlin: selling adventure under the weight of security questions
In recent years Pakistan has increasingly positioned itself as a destination for hiking, mountaineering, and so-called “high-altitude” adventure, with an emphasis on the country’s north and the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush regions. Pakistani institutions and the tourism sector seek to attract foreign visitors and investment, and participation at ITB is, in that sense, a logical move: the German market is traditionally strong for outdoor and themed travel, and Berlin is a place where contracts for upcoming seasons are concluded.
Pakistan’s tourism organisation PTDC, in its guidelines for participation at international fairs, stresses that the goal of an appearance is to create B2B connections and promote the country as an attractive destination. Public posts attributed to PTDC also state that for ITB Berlin 2026 a “Pakistan Pavilion” is planned in cooperation with provincial tourism departments and the private sector, with an expected delegation of tourism stakeholders. But the current escalation with Afghanistan raises the question of how, at the booth, they will answer buyers’ concrete questions about safety and logistics, especially when the conflict is unfolding in border areas that are also part of tourism routes.
Afghanistan and the return of the “heritage story” in the shadow of war
Afghanistan, according to industry announcements, is also appearing at ITB Berlin with the ambition of presenting cultural heritage, tradition, and the potential of adventure tours to international buyers. That attempt comes in a sensitive political and security context: international travel to Afghanistan has for years been accompanied by a series of warnings, and local tourism largely depends on specialised packages, strict logistics, and limited infrastructure.
Still, the country’s cultural potential is real and documented. UNESCO’s World Heritage List records two inscribed sites in Afghanistan: the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam and the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley. Bamiyan is also often mentioned internationally because of the destruction of the large Buddha statues in 2001, which became a symbol of cultural-heritage devastation in wartime conditions. At a fair like ITB, such heritage can be the basis for a narrative of “travel through history” and responsible tourism, but only if it is possible to answer convincingly the fundamental question: can one travel there without serious risks?
In practice, the ability to organise travel to Afghanistan today is limited to a narrow market segment. Even when local stakeholders claim that certain areas are more stable than before, international risk-management standards in tourism remain strict: tour operators must assess threats, ensure evacuation plans, and align with insurance rules and the advisories of clients’ home countries. The conflict with Pakistan further increases uncertainty because scenarios of border closures and disruption of air routes open up.
What buyers at ITB will be looking for: security guarantees, flexibility, and transparency
Unlike classic tourism advertising aimed at end travellers, ITB Berlin is primarily a B2B event. That means very pragmatic topics will dominate conversations in Berlin: cancellation terms, insurance, travel organiser liability, the timeliness of security information, and the ability to rapidly adjust itineraries. Geopolitical crises in recent years have taught the industry that “normal conditions” can disappear overnight – whether due to war, epidemics, natural disasters, or sudden political decisions.
In the case of Afghanistan and Pakistan, questions of reputation also carry special weight. Travel companies that sell packages in crisis zones are exposed to public scrutiny, and some buyers and media raise ethical questions: should travel be promoted to countries where war is being fought or where there is a serious risk to civilians. On the other hand, advocates of “responsible tourism” sometimes argue that controlled and transparent forms of travel can help local communities, provided they do not worsen risks and are aligned with international safety standards.
Can tourism survive the conflict headlines?
As Berlin prepares for three fair days, Afghanistan and Pakistan enter a week in which two realities collide: one is the tourism presentation – photos of mountains, bazaars, cultural monuments, and “authentic experiences” – and the other is reporting on air strikes, artillery, deaths, and closed crossings. In such circumstances, tourism can hardly escape politics, even when the ambition of appearing at the fair is purely economic.
For the international tourism industry, this case is a reminder that destination marketing cannot compensate for the basic prerequisite of travel: safety and predictability. If the conflict continues or expands, appearances in Berlin could remain only a symbolic gesture, while real buyer decisions will depend on developments on the ground, official travel advisories, and the ability of the two countries to show credible steps toward de-escalation.
Sources:- ITB Berlin (Messe Berlin) – official dates and information about ITB Berlin 2026 ( link )- ITB Berlin – press release on the conference and the theme “Leading Tourism into Balance” ( link )- ITB Berlin – press release on the 60th anniversary and opening events on 2 March 2026 ( link )- Associated Press – reports on the escalation and “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan ( link )- TIME – overview of events and a description of the attacks and exchange of strikes ( link )- NPR – report on border closures and the effects on trade along key routes ( link )- U.S. Department of State – travel advisory for Afghanistan (Level 4: Do Not Travel) ( link )- GOV.UK (FCDO) – official travel advice and security information for Afghanistan ( link )- U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan – security alert and risk context (February 2026) ( link )- UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Bamiyan Valley (World Heritage) ( link )- UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (World Heritage) ( link )
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