HOLIDAY IN AZERBAIJAN

Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia ... This is not a complete list of the countries where citizens of Azerbaijan like to spend their holidays. Certainly, such a flow of tourists from Azerbaijan can only be good, testifying to people's increased standards of living. But there is a fly in the ointment: in visiting other countries, our tourists contribute to the further development of holiday destinations already well established, i.e. they contribute to the development of a foreign tourist industry, which is already most profitable. Of course, the USSR has sunk into oblivion and no-one will prohibit foreign tours. But today the need to popularise tourism in Azerbaijan is more acute than ever, including from abroad.

Impetus for development

As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev suggested in declaring 2011 the Year of Tourism, significant advances in this sector's development can be expected very soon. The head of state set a global context in his speech at a cabinet meeting on the results of 2010 and plans for 2011: "In 2011, 5 five-star hotels will open in Baku. I believe that this is probably a unique occurrence in the world ... At the same time, four and three-star hotels are under construction in Baku. Much work to develop the hotel business is under way in the provinces. The development of tourism in Azerbaijan is already a reality." President Aliyev also noted that in order to create a tourism infrastructure, the state needs to make large investments, while the hotels are being built by the private sector. "Hence, confidence in Azerbaijan's development is so great that millions and hundreds of millions are being invested here and in these hotels. Investors are confident that these funds will reap dividends," said the president.

In any case, work on a more detailed action plan based on the president's guidelines and instructions is already under way. Nahid Bagirov, chairman of the Association of Tourism of Azerbaijan (AzTA), told R+ that a recent meeting held on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism decided that a specific action plan should be outlined and that its execution will begin in the near future. Leading travel agencies and hotels in Azerbaijan will also present their proposals to the association, which will forward them to the ministry.

In other words, the tourism sector will receive a powerful impetus for development in 2011: experience shows that the state will exert strict control over the implementation of planned activities and allocate significant funding, while promising that projects will receive maximum backing, including financial support.

In this context, it should be noted that work to improve the situation in the industry began last year with the adoption of the State Tourism Development Programme for 2010-2014. According to Abulfaz Qarayev, Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism, the new state programme will certainly "resolve the existing problems in the field of tourism" and ensure Azerbaijan's further progress as a tourist destination on the international market. Under this programme, the minister said, "considerable work is planned in view of the great potential for development of the country's tourism industry."

Meanwhile, Nizami Cafarov, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, said that 2011 has been declared the Year of Tourism because Azerbaijan is ready for it. "Currently, the main task is to turn Azerbaijan into an interesting country for tourists. We have beautiful natural areas and cultural and historical monuments that need to be restored. In addition, there are places in Azerbaijan that are truly beautiful, but their beauty cannot be promoted because of poor roads and undeveloped infrastructure. A striking example is the area along the Kura and Araz rivers, which has witnessed great historic events over the years, as reflected in the writings of the historians," said Cafarov.

What is the potential?

It's no secret that tourism is now one of the fastest growing sectors of the Azerbaijani economy. This is proved by the large-scale construction of new hotels and tourist sites, the opening of a tourism institute and the growing number of tourists visiting the country.

According to Qarayev, "Azerbaijani tourism has been developing at an accelerated pace over the past three years." "Certainly, every year is different. One year, we move forward by 40 per cent and the next year by 5 per cent. But we are never behind the schedule of development," the minister reported.

"This relatively small Land of Fire is located at the junction of Europe and Asia, which makes it very attractive for the development of tourism," says Wikipedia. "Of the 11 climate zones existing on our planet, nine are present within the territory of Azerbaijan - from subtropical to the high-alpine."

Speaking of alpine, the authors of the "Free Encyclopaedia" probably did not even consider such a term, while today new concepts are being introduced to Azerbaijan - "winter tourism" and "ski resort". And this new tourism sector is being developed at the highest level of state.

When the establishment of the Sahdag winter and summer tourist complex in Azerbaijan's Qusar District was first announced, few people believed in the project. Today, however, it is emerging as a reality.

Moreover, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the cabinet meeting that the Sahdag resort will become a world-class centre. "It should not, and will not, lag behind the world's most advanced and popular resorts. Thus it will bring new investment to our country, create improved conditions for residents of the northern regions and open thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of new jobs. There will be even more tourists coming to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan will become a very attractive country for tourism," the president continued.

According to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, construction work on the project is "progressing very quickly". Qarayev stressed that by the end of this winter, it is planned to complete the installation of an artificial snow system and one of the five lifts, while the first hotel will be commissioned in summer. "As an experiment, we will watch how it goes this year, and the first tourists will arrive here next winter," he added.

It should be remembered that the construction of a complex with a total area of more than 2 hectares will be carried out in four stages. At the first stage, important communication lines and ski trails will be laid, 11 lifts and equipment for artificial snow will be installed and an artificial lake created. 312-room five-star, 346-room four-star and 282-room three-star hotels are planned, as well as small country houses and cottages.

The second stage envisages the construction of a network of lifts, cultural and sports facilities, houses and gardens.

The third phase covers the laying of additional ski trails and the expansion of the residential area. According to projections by the Austrian specialists, a special unit for "artificial snow" and a reservoir will be created. The centre, built at 2,000 metres above sea level, will employ 5,000 staff.

The Minister of Culture and Tourism hailed the winter and summer tourist complex at the foot of Sahdag in Qusar District as "one of the jewels of tourism". The first phase of work is currently 50 per cent complete and communications, electricity, water and gas lines have been laid to cater for 10,000 tourists per day. The project involves the most advanced companies from Austria, Sweden, Turkey, the USA, Italy and the UAE. "The first pilot ski slope is expected to be tested in March this year and four other ski slopes commissioned in the 2011-2012 winter season," said the minister.

Of course, today it is difficult to calculate the dividends that will arise from the implementation of this large-scale project. But given that construction of the complex is to the highest standards, and the cost of a holiday there is unlikely to exceed that of world-renowned resorts, including those in Austria and Switzerland, Sahdag should become a very attractive holiday destination, including for us, citizens of Azerbaijan.

Another important factor: with such a well-developed infrastructure, including luxury hotels and chalets, Azerbaijan could hope to host the Olympic Games. Baku has already bid to host the Summer Olympic Games - in 2016. Although it proved impossible to win that right, it is quite possible that, considering the construction of new Olympic facilities and hotels, not only Baku, but also the country's regions, can bid to host such large events in the near future.

At the same time, it is not entirely correct to speak only of the construction of hotels and tourist complexes in the context of tourism development. Today, the whole infrastructure of Azerbaijan's regions is undergoing rapid development. Major projects to supply gas and energy, build roads and bridges and develop housing and banking are being implemented here... Of course, sooner or later this will have a positive impact on domestic and foreign tourists. In addition, with new state initiatives, the tourism industry will make a significant contribution to the development of the non-oil sector in the future and could become one of the most profitable contributors to the budget. And it is quite possible that in 5-10 years' time, Azerbaijan will take its rightful place on the map of the most popular tourist destinations.