BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 10
Trend:
On 8 July 2020, The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) organised its first AHK Impuls event for its member companies. The main topic of the event was the medium and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism industry in Azerbaijan. After the opening remarks by the Chairman of the AHK Board of Directors, Mr Farid Isayev, the honorary guest speaker of the event, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Mr Florian Sengstschmid delivered a key-note speech on “Tourism Industry of Azerbaijan during the Pandemic”.
In the meeting, Mr Sengstschmid informed the participants about the current situation in the tourism industry in light of the coronavirus pandemic, briefly discussed four-stage recovery plan for the tourism sector of the country and support mechanisms provided to the industry representatives. Moreover, he elaborated on the new initiatives by the Tourism Board the “SAHMAN” (“Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms”) programme and the “Adventure is near” (“Macəra Yaxındadır”) domestic tourism campaign.
Emphasising the importance of reassessing and enhancing the standards across the tourism sector, Mr Sengstschmid mentioned that the “SAHMAN” programme calls upon all stakeholders in Azerbaijan to adopt better practices in their businesses in the interest of safeguarding public health and supporting the recovery of the industry. He mentioned that, the purpose of the “Adventure is near” campaign is to promote domestic tourism at the state level and to bring together all tourism offers for the citizens of the country by encouraging the local population to take advantage of the country's tourism opportunities.
Following this, Mr Walter Gag, General Manager at Hyatt Regency Baku and Mr René Koinzack, General Manager Sales at Deutsche Lufthansa AG provided their valuable insights into the economic consequences of COVID-19 in the hospitality and transport sectors, respectively, and on the development challenges and post-pandemic recovery period.