Tourist inflow to Azerbaijan from Europe, East Asia increases
By Nigar Orujova
Tourist inflow to Azerbaijan from Japan, China and South Korea is increasing, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nazim Samadov told journalists.
"Most of tourists come to Azerbaijan from neighboring countries, however, the growth trend is observed in the number of tourists from European countries as well as from Japan, China and South Korea," Samadov said.
According to him, along with the development of infrastructure, the quality of services offered to tourists needs to be improved.
"Tourism Institute, established in Azerbaijan in 2006, already has about 600 graduates who are in high demand in the labor market and are employed in hotels and travel agencies. We are working to improve the quality of tourism services in the country," Samadov said.
He said that whereas in 2003 the tourism sector employed 2,678 people, by 2012 the figure reached 8,000.
"There were 69 hotels and hotel-type facilities operating in the country in 2001, 288 in 2006, and 520 in 2012. These facilities employ 6,150 people. At present, 221 licensed tourism companies operate in the country," Samadov underlined.
Over 1 million tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2003, while in 2012 the figure rose to 2.484 million. Tourists' spending in the country increased from $57.7 million to $1.3 billion," Samadov said.
According to Samadov, 514 hotels operate in Azerbaijan. However, only 260 of them have obtained the required licenses. Some of the hotels call themselves as four or five-star hotels, without due permission, which violates consumers' rights.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry addressed the Ministries of Taxes and Economic Development to combat the operation of unlicensed hotels.
Currently, the tourism ministry is scrutinizing 15 appeals on gaining licenses for the provision of tourism services.
Tourist attractions
Azerbaijan, with its favorable location linking the Western and Eastern civilizations and cultures, has a beautiful nature, ancient history, delicious cookery, and adorable beaches on the Caspian seashore.
Previously Azerbaijan attracted most of tourists in summer, but a new mountain skiing facility, Shahdag, was constructed to change the situation. Built in the northern Gusar region, it will be able to function all year round with artificial snow and is expected to receive 10,000 tourists daily after the completion of its construction.
During the two-month test mode operation, 50,000 tourists visited this facility, which is a record number for Azerbaijani tourist facilities. Most of these tourists are locals, as the facility is not widely known abroad at this point.
Earlier the Cabinet of Ministers reported that the number of foreigners who arrived in Azerbaijan last year increased by 2.4 percent compared to 2003 and reached 2.480 million.
The report says the number of hotels and hotel-type facilities increased five-fold compared to 2003. The number of travel agencies in Azerbaijan has reached 200.
This year, Azerbaijan will host the 12th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair and the first Baku International Tourism Film Festival, which are aimed to further develop the tourism industry in the country.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry in 2012 developed new standards on the hotels' star rating, which will be implemented from this year.
Although 150 criteria were taken into account earlier while assessing the category of hotels, currently 300 criteria are applied to define the state standard, which is certain to improve the level of provided services.
The prices at Azerbaijani hotels have decreased 15-20 percent in the past two years.