COMPLETELY "TOUR-READY"

Within a relatively short period of time - about ten years - the domestic recreational sector has made a significant breakthrough, achieving the best performance in the region and gradually establishing its own niche in the highly competitive global market. In accordance with recent tradition, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan concludes the summer holiday season at the end of September, coinciding with the celebration of the UN's World Tourism Day marked by countries around the world. 

In general, Azerbaijan succeeded in forming the basic elements of the tourism industry over the past decade. It put into operation modern hotels and recreational areas, along with the accompanying recreational services. According to recent data, there are over 500 hotels that can house more than 35,000 tourists. Currently, around 50 new hotels of various classes are being built. Once they are put into operation, the number of beds will increase by 10-15,000, or 40 per cent.

"Our country's tourism sector is developing rapidly. In the last few years alone, six five-star hotels were built in Baku, and similar developments are taking place in the regions, where, in particular, modern ski resorts are being built. For example, just this year, five-star hotels and golf courses opened for business in Samaxi, Quba and Qabala, and by the end of the year the third upscale spa resort will open in Naftalan," said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who recently visited the districts ofIsmayilli and Qabala. 

According to the principles of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the objective of World Tourism Dayis to highlight the contribution of this sector to the world economy and tothe development of relations between nations. The resolution was passed in 1979 at the WTO conference in the Spanish city of Torremolinos, and every year on 27 September most countries in the world hold celebrations to mark the day. 

Since 2001, Azerbaijan has also celebrated this international holiday every year, marking thedaywith exhibitions of arts and crafts, a photo biennale, holiday concerts, and free entrance to all museums in the capital and to the State Historical and Architectural Reserve Icheri Sheher [Icari Sahar; Baku's Old Town]. This year was no exception. The unforgettable day was celebrated with large-scale cultural and recreational activities.

During a nationwide conference devoted to summarizing the development of domestic tourism this year, a presentation was given of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan's projects, which highlighted the preparations for the first European Games, presented the catalogue of the Baku Guide, etc. 

"This year has been very fruitful for us: Azerbaijan for the first time as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Tourism Organization was able to host the commission in our country.  In accordance with the recommendations of the WTO, special programs, seminars, and technical meetings were held in Azerbaijan," said Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Qarayev, speaking at the conference. According to the Minister, one of the year's successes was the implementation of the EU twinning project aimed at supporting community tourism initiatives. Other success also include the cooperation with Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) todevelop outbound tourism, which envisages the launching of several new destinations by the end of 2014.

"Annual monitoring in the regions of the country allow us to optimize the level and quality of services. It is gratifying to see that according to the results of monitoring done in the summer of this year, there was almost no growth in prices in the regions for tourism services in large 2- and 3-star hotels," Qarayev emphasized. 

In order to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting the country, as well as in preparation for the European Olympic Games to be held in Baku in the summer of 2015, the tourism ministry is taking steps to accelerate the licensing of tourism enterprises and companies. 

These successes of our tourism sector have not gone unnoticed by international experts. A recent study conducted by the World Economic Forum showed that in terms of hotel capacity and the development of tourism as a whole, Azerbaijan is among the top four countries in the former Soviet Union. One of the world's most respected publications in the field of travel and tourism, National Geographic Traveler magazine, published the results of research done in 2014, which included a segment on regional tourism markets. In the category "Discovery of the Year", Azerbaijan wasamong the top three, well ahead of South Korea, the resorts of southern Russia and Iceland. 

At the same time, over the last few years appreciable adjustments have been made in the development of tourism infrastructure, which are designed to bring about the most effective use of its potential. "Today, the country is focusing on the formation of tourism clusters: such recreational areas have already been formed in Sahdag, Qabala, Quba, Qusar. Now we are developing clusters in Samkir and Goygol, and clusters are also planned in the southern region of the country. As practice shows, this is the most effective method for developing tourism," said the minister. 

The formation of major regional recreational areas has long been one of the priorities of the State Program on Development of Tourism for the years 2010-2014. Tourism clusters areconcentrations within a limited area of companies involved in the development, manufacture, promotion and sale of the tourism product, as well as activities related to tourism and recreation. Such tourism hubs can be found in many regions of the world and they are highly efficient and profitableas they reduce the cost of the overall infrastructure, providing accommodation, food, entertainment, sports, recreational and other travel services, as well as make it possible to receive and serve greater numbers of tourists at the highest standards. In addition, due to the growth of competition in local tourist hubs, prices arelower. All of the above are ideal waysto increase the flow of foreign tourists to Azerbaijan. 

AT FIRST HAND

"With regards to the development of tourism,our capital Baku is in first place. In Baku,we now have all the major international hotel chains. During the last 2-3 years,six five-star hotels were built in our city. All these hotels providethe highest levels of service. This demonstrates our country's development and reflects investors' faith in the future of Azerbaijan."  

Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan