Baku, Azerbaijan, June 2
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
The creation of the ASAN Visa system will make it possible to increase the number of tourism companies engaged in inbound tourism in Azerbaijan from 70 to 100 soon, Muzaffar Aghakarimov, advisor to the head of Azerbaijan Tourism Association, told Trend June 2.
He noted that currently, around 70 tourism companies are engaged in inbound tourism in the country.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on June 1 signed a decree on simplification of e-visas issuance procedure and the creation of the ASAN Visa system.
The decree was signed in order to simplify procedure for issuing visas to foreigners and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan, as well as creation of an e-visa system ensuring transparency and efficiency with the use of modern information technologies.
Simplification of the visa issuance procedure creates conditions for developing the inbound tourism and the country's economy in general, Aghakarimov added.
The creation of the ASAN Visa system, issuance of online visas within three days, will help attract more tourists to Azerbaijan, he said.
Aghakarimov recalled that in February 2016, the period of e-visa issuance was reduced from ten to five working days in accordance with the decree of Azerbaijan's president. He noted that the country launched a simplified visa regime for the tourists arriving in Azerbaijan from the Persian Gulf countries, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.
In recent years, Azerbaijan is working hard to improve overall conditions in the country for a bigger tourist flow. In 2015, during the inaugural European Games, over 28,000 foreign tourists visited Azerbaijan, according to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The "ASAN Visa" system should help the country to increase the number of visiting tourists. Azerbaijani Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev had previously said that Azerbaijan's goal is to be able to host 5 million tourists per year.