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Number of travel agencies, hotels increasing in Azerbaijan

26 September 2014 19:19 (UTC+04:00)
Number of travel agencies, hotels increasing in Azerbaijan

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan will celebrate the International Day of Tourism with holding Open Doors Day on September 27.

Tourists' facilities of the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the State Historical-Architectural Reserve Icherisheher will remain open throughout the day. Moreover, some jazz concerts will be held at the Governor's Garden Park and the Fountain Square.

Ahead of the Tourism Day, the Ministry summed up results of the summer tourist season.

Minister Abulfaz Garayev said the results of tourist season are satisfactory. No emergency cases or concerns were recorded during the summer season this year, as a result of measures taken in advance.

The monitoring mission contributed to improvement of the quality of these facilities, he said.

Because some places do not fulfill the recommendations of agencies, an appeal to law enforcement agencies has been made for suspension of their license, he said.

"Surely we must protect the rights of tourists and those spending their free time in these places," Garayev said.

Azerbaijan today has the capacity to accommodate about 35,000 tourists, he added.

"In Azerbaijan, the number of travel agencies and hotels is increasing. Issuing the license is taking place via the Internet," he stressed.

Garayev also noted the fact that an increase in prices in the tourism sector was not recorded this year.

He added that the Ministry is focusing on formation of clusters, the territory that combines accommodation, catering, entertainment, and other tourist services.

"The cluster has been formed in Shahdagh, Gabala, Guba, Gusar. Now we form a cluster in Shamkir and Goygol, and another one is planned in the Southern region of the country," he added.

Speaking at a conference dedicated to the International Tourism Day, Garayev said, there are 530 hotels functioning in Azerbaijan, and their number has doubled in seven years.

The Minister warned the owners of the tourist facilities about strict measures in case of non-compliance.

"If hotels and other tourist facilities don't adhere to the requirements and standards, these facilities will be closed," he said.

The travel company that are not involved in the events, trainings and projects of the Ministry and don't increase the level of their services will not work in the tourism market, he stressed.

He noted that special programs, seminars, technical meetings have been held in Azerbaijan, which is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The first European Games, European Championship, Islamic Solidarity Games, various competent forums and events held in Azerbaijan show that the country takes its intrinsic place on the world tourism map, he stressed.

A serious work is underway in Azerbaijan together with Azerbaijan Airlines AZAL aimed at tourism development, he added, and by the end of this year, one or two new destinations are expected to open.

Garayev said one of the successful outcomes of this year is finalizing the twinning project of the European Union.

He noted that there are now proposals to expand the bus fleet "Baku City Sight Tour" in the capital and its creation in the country.

Participants of the conference saw a video message from Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai, who stressed the importance of tourism to the economic development of countries.

The conference was attended by representatives of government agencies, private companies operating in the tourism sector, as well as diplomats of embassies accredited in Azerbaijan.

The event also witnessed a presentation of the projects of the Ministry, services provided by "City Sightseeing Baku", the activities of the Congress Bureau of Azerbaijan, the first European games as well as a guide called "Baku Guide".

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