By Laman Ismayilova
Azerbaijan has embarked upon measures of recovery of the
country’s tourism sector after the pandemic, Azernews reports.
The State Tourism Agency is exploring the dimensions of tourism
revival and carries out major work to ensure sustainable tourism
development.
According to the State Statistical Committee, a 2.1 times
increase was observed in January-November, 2022 compared to the
same months of last year.
Among the foreign citizens, who visited Azerbaijan this year,
Russia, Turkiye, and Iran are in the first place. They are followed
by Saudi Arabia, Georgia, India, Pakistan, UAE, Kazakhstan, and
other countries.
Recovery indicators for Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and India are
more than 90 percent. Countries like Belarus, Pakistan, and Jordan
surpassed the results of 2019.
Azerbaijan Tourism Summit 2022 was another turning point in the
country’s tourism sector.
Within the summit, members of the tourism industry, state, and
private sector representatives discuss development trends in
tourism.
The summit participants also set goals for the next four years.
The State Tourism Agency has set up goals aimed at the improvement
of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry within the “2022-2026
Socio-Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of
Azerbaijan”.
The agency aims to increase GDP production in the tourist
accommodation and public catering sector by 1.5 times compared to
2019 and to achieve an average annual growth of 20 percent in the
tourism sector.
At the same time, the State Tourism Agency seeks to improve
internal tourism by increasing the number of domestic tourists to 6
million.
Major works have been carried out in liberated territories to
revive tourism. In near future, Karabakh is expected to be a major
tourism destination. Currently, both luxury and mid-level hotels
are being built in Shusha and Aghdam.
Moreover, Azerbaijan and Turkiye set out to create a joint
tourism route. The two countries are planning to cooperate in
mountain-ski tourism, gastronomy tourism, and non-traditional
tourism products.
In 2023, Azerbaijan will continue to work on initiatives aimed
at tourism recovery.
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