New tourist zones to be created in country
By Aygul Salmanova
The Culture and Tourism Ministry of Azerbaijan is working on the design of three tourist zones.
The work is carried out by three companies following the results of the international tender, the Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev said on January 31.
The zones are located in Khizi-Nabran, Guba and Gusar, where the work will continue until the end of the year, the minister said.
“All the benefits in these tourist zones should provide an opportunity for the construction of three- and four-star hotels, and in general the creation of tourist infrastructure,” Garayev noted.
The minister added that recently great importance is attached to the construction of three-star hotels in the regions.
He noted that the country is slowly developing a three-star hotel business and the number of such hotels should be increased.
“Over the past years, tourism business in Azerbaijan has developed in the direction of luxury tourism. We were a country actively developing the energy sector. This industry accordingly dictated to us its standards: various businessmen, people engaged in the energy business came to Azerbaijan. In this connection, we have all these five-star hotels,” the minister said.
In the current conditions Azerbaijan’s economy puts forward other requirements for the development of the industry, so the country is gradually reorienting to more mass tourism, according to the minister.
Garayev also noted that after the licensing of tourist activities were abolished, brokers appeared who supposedly render tourist services, setting inflated prices and organizing transport, which leads to a decline in tourism level.
“We lose from this. We cannot, show our potential by creating a normal program in order to bring this product to the world level. If this is done, then brokers and fraudsters will face negative consequences,” he said.
Recalling that a new bill “On Tourism” is being drafted, Garayev said that this law will be very important from the point of view of ensuring the quality and image of Azerbaijani tourism.
“If a five-star hotel renders services of a two-star hotel, then it violates the parameters. If the travel companies are engaged in brokerage and deceive people, they will be held accountable. No concessions will be made! And I'm looking forward to the adoption of this law,” he said.
Tourism tends to become one of the main sectors of the Azerbaijani economy, and that can be seen from the huge flow of tourists visiting the country this year.
The minister also noted that work in the reserve “Yanardag” will begin after the issues with the people living there are resolved.
“Now there is a project, based on the work to be done, but it will get started after the issues with the people living there are solved. The state is engaged in this work. The remark of President Ilham Aliyev on this issue was absolutely fair. This question has been relevant for a long time, and we should have paid attention to the issues related to “Yanardag” long time ago. We will draw a conclusion from criticism,” Garayev added.
It should be noted that last December President Aliyev inspected the State Historical and Cultural Reserve “Yanardag”. After getting familiarized with the reserve, the head of state pointed to the intolerable conditions here. He noted that both Azerbaijani citizens and numerous tourists visit this reserve, and existing conditions do not correspond to the current level of the country's development.
Today tourism is developing with high speed in Azerbaijan, with a contribution of 4.5 percent to the national GDP. The country witnesses more than 2 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and thousands of domestic tourism visits.
Hotels are a vital and fundamental part of tourism supply. Comfortable hotels and accommodation facilities contribute to popularizing any tourist destination, as travelers require location where they can rest and revive during their travel.
Today, Azerbaijan can accommodate about 40,000 tourists in its 575 hotels, which include a series of luxury hotels – Excelsior, Hilton, Four Seasons, Fairmont, JW Marriott – as well as several budget hotels for cost-conscious travelers. Moreover, 25 hostels and 92 apartments for tourists operate in Baku.