Azerbaijan participates in World Travel Market
By Nazrin Gadimova
Azerbaijan participated in the international World Travel Market 2013 exhibition.
The exhibition was held in London on November 4-7.
Supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Azerbaijan was represented by Azerbaijan Airlines Company (AZAL), Fairmont Baku, Four Seasons Hotel Baku, Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel, Youth Foundation under the President of Azerbaijan, and many others.
Azerbaijan's stand was located in the pavilion in an area of 105 square meters, and visitors received detailed information about tourism opportunities in the country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev wished success for the 12 tourism companies participating in the exhibition, as well as Turkey's representatives whose stands were placed nearby.
Garaev also took part in the summit of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) member countries, where problems in the fields of tourism, aviation, and also visa and their possible solutions were discussed.
Speaking at the event, the Minister talked about the work done in the country's tourism industry on implementing the State Program on development of tourism in 2010-2014, approved by the Decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. In the end, Garayev proposed to simplify the visa application process for tourists.
Garayev also met with WTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, and Tourism Ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Albania, Croatia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, and other countries. During the meetings, the sides exchanged views on enhancing cooperation.
Then the Minister gave interviews to the British media and also held meetings on the European Games that will be held in Baku in summer 2015.
World Travel Market (WTM), the leading global event for the travel industry, is a four-day business-to-business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to the UK and International travel professionals. It is a unique opportunity for the whole global travel trade to meet at one place and negotiate, exchange ideas, and conduct business.