Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
The Baku Shopping Festival is a logical continuation of the systematic work to improve Azerbaijan’s country image and develop the country brand, Arman Kassenov, a country branding expert, told Trend.
The festival will further improve Azerbaijan’s attractiveness for international visitors, Kassenov, who is also an advisor to the chairman of the Board of Directors of Kazkommertsbank JSC, a private bank in Kazakhstan, added.
He noted that in recent years the leadership of Azerbaijan has done a great job to improve the country’s image.
“For the last 10 years, many had the opportunity to discover such a wonderful country as Azerbaijan,” Kassenov said. “This happened as a result of such large-scale and attractive events as Eurovision Song Contest 2012, Baku 2015 European Games and the 2016 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe.”
“For a foreign tourist, the Baku Shopping Festival is an opportunity to feel all the charm and comfort of staying in Azerbaijan, appreciate its infrastructure, and at the same time enjoy shopping, having a wide choice of both world and local brands,” Kassenov said.
The expert noted that if the festival is properly organized and the target countries are selected successfully, it will automatically lead to an influx of tourists into Azerbaijan.
The Baku Shopping Festival started Apr. 10 and will last until May 10. The shopping festival is being held with organizational support of the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The event simultaneously covers several areas – trade, tourism, entertainment, fashion and culture.
During the festival, the Tax Free system will be available for the first time for citizens of Azerbaijan.
Besides intensified trade, the shopping festival will include various entertainment events, including fashion shows, concerts, theatre and cinema premieres, which makes the festival the real feast for people.