Azernews.Az

By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijan’s tourism potential was presented at the “Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show” held on February 16-17, 2019 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Sponsored and organized by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, the Azerbaijan booth, titled “Azerbaijan: Everlasting Heritage, Inspirational Harmony,” offered the attendees comprehensive information about Azerbaijan’s ancient history, rich culture and cuisine, tourism potential, multifaith harmony, traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance as well as steady development as an independent nation. Various video clips showcasing Azerbaijan’s natural beauties, landscapes, unique history, cultural diversity and architecture were demonstrated in the booth. Colorful national costumes of Azerbaijan worn by members of the Azerbaijani community received much acclaim.

The Azerbaijan booth also presented Azerbaijan’s ancient Karabakh region and informed the Show visitors about this historical part of the country. The banner ”Karabakh: Crown Jewel of Azerbaijan”, featured in the booth, attracted much attention of the Show visitors. Showcasing picturesque nature of Karabakh, the banner also features Karabakh’s history, its historical Azerbaijani monuments, such as the Shusha Walls, Govharagha Mosque, Ganjasar Caucasian Albanian Monastery, as well as the Karabakh carpets, the Mugham music school, and the Karabakh horses and cuisine.

In addition, a booklet, which includes the ones listed above, published by the Consulate General, was distributed in the booth. The brochure also highlights the current situation in Karabakh, which has been under illegal military occupation by neighboring Armenia since over 26 years. Referring to a travel warning by the U.S. State Department, the brochure cautions Americans to avoid any travel to this region.

Attended by over 30,000 visitors, "Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show" is the largest travel show in the United States.

In the modern world, tourism is one of the most dynamically developing and profitable sectors of the economy for each country. The tourism sector accounts for 10 percent of global GDP, and this area has a significant impact on issues of export, investment, infrastructure development and promotion of social integration, stimulates entrepreneurship.

Azerbaijan is among the developing countries in the field of tourism, occupying the 39th place among 148 countries in terms of global competitiveness in tourism.

In 2018, 2,849,600 tourists from 196 countries arrived in Azerbaijan, showing a 5.7 percent increase compared to 2017, according to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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