Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan has increased its competitiveness in the tourism sector, according to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The South Caucasus country, located on the western edge of the Caspian Sea at the crossroads of the East and West, has risen from 83rd to 78th position in the WEF ranking, which is published every two years and covers 140 countries.

According to the WEF, Azerbaijan ranks 46th in the world in terms of the tourism and travel regulatory framework, 87th on the business environment and infrastructure and 96th on human, cultural and natural resources for tourism.

The main indicator, the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, is calculated based on a number of figures. Among these indicators, the WEF provided a relatively high assessment to transparency of government policymaking (48th in the world), the number of days to start a business (33rd), the cost of business start-up (also 33rd). On sustainability of industry development, Azerbaijan ranked 41st, while on security in the country -- 52nd; health and hygiene 34th, in particular, the number of hospital beds per 10,000 people (8th); effectiveness of marketing to attract tourists 44th, comprehensiveness of data in the field of tourism 22nd, fuel prices 17th, and the number of World Heritage cultural sites 45th.

Notwithstanding the increasing competitiveness, the WEF considers problematic visa requirements in Azerbaijan (133rd in the world), access to improved drinking water (112th), state of tourism infrastructure (109th), airport charges and taxes (121st), quality of education (108th), and natural resources (110th).

The WEF forecasts a 7.5 percent increase in added value in the tourism sector in Azerbaijan by 2022.

The report says Azerbaijan's GDP in the tourism industry reached $1.1 billion in 2012, which is 1.9 percent of the total GDP of the country, while the GDP of the tourism industry reached $4.12 billion (6.9 percent of the total GDP).

The WEF also expects a 2.7 percent increase in employment in the tourism sector over ten years. It says there were 277 tourism sector employees per one thousand jobs in 2012 in Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Nazim Samadov said that along with the development of infrastructure, the quality of services offered to tourists needs to be improved.

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 travel agencies operate in the country," Samadov said.

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.

Azerbaijan saw an increase in tourist numbers in 2012, with 2.48 million people visiting the country.

According to Samadov, the amount of tourists' spending in the country grew from $57.7 million to $1.3 billion, adding that "this is a result of the government`s well-considered tourism policy and the implementation of relevant state programs".