Azerbaijan, Baku, April 12 / Trend I.Isabalayeva /
On Thursday in Baku with the organization of the Iteca Caspian company, which is the exclusive partner of the British ITE Group company in the Caucasus, Eleventh Azerbaijan International Exhibition "Tourism and Travel" (AITF 2012) has opened.
The three-day exhibition involves around 200 companies from 32 countries, representing the whole 62 tourism destinations and 15 national pavilions, executive director of "Iteca Caspian" Farid Mammadov said at the opening.
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Dagestan, India, Cyprus, the Crimea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Slovenia, Turkey, Czech Republic, Dubai, Stavropol region of Russia, Croatia will present their national exhibitions.
Bulgaria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Russia and Ukraine will present their famous health resorts. At the stand of the Stavropol region it will be possible to become familiar to offers of cities-resorts Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Kislovodsk, Mineral Waters, Pyatigorsk, which are known for their popular spa treatment techniques.
Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev noted the increase in the number of tourists arriving in Baku.
He said that a record number of tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2011 - 2.134 million people, which is 14 per cent more compared to 2010.
This increase is associated with the declaration of 2011 as the Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan.
Turkey for the third year in a row has been partner country of AITF. For the first time Bulgaria is participating in the AITF as a guest country. Interest from international participants is stressed by the fact that the World Tourism Organization, which for many years supported the holding of AITF, this year has decided to participate in the exhibition with a stand.
Head of the department of the World Tourism Organization Alla Peresolova said Azerbaijan and organization represented by her build partnership relations.
Expressing the hope to expand this partnership, Peresolova said that the tourism industry can be developed only by working together.
