BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 2. The State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) are jointly organizing the 1st ECO Tour Operators Forum in Baku on May 2–3, a source in the agency told Trend.
Official state representatives and tourism industry representatives from nine member countries of the organization, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, attend the forum.
Speaking at the event, the Head of Administration at State Tourism Agency Kanan Gasimov emphasized the importance of the forum in terms of expanding ties between representatives of the ECO region's tourism industry, exchanging knowledge and experience in tourism among member states, and serving as an important platform for mutual promotion and advocacy activities.
He also highlighted the development of relations between the State Tourism Agency and the ECO, reminding that in December 2023, Baku successfully hosted the first meeting of educational institutions specializing in tourism from member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization.
In his speech, ECO Secretary General Khusrav Noziri emphasized that the forum is an important step towards strengthening the network of tour operators in the organization's member states and expressed gratitude to the State Tourism Agency for supporting the implementation of this initiative.
He noted that the development of relationships among tour operators will contribute to the creation of new tourism products and routes.
The Secretary-General proposed to establish the ECO Federation of Tourism Agencies as a mechanism to support the promotion of public-private partnerships within the organization's strategy until 2025.
The ECO was founded in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan, and Türkiye as an intergovernmental regional organization aimed at fostering economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among member states.
In 1992, the organization underwent further expansion with the accession of seven new members: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
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