BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 4. The Eurasian Mountain Tourism Forum on “Prospects and Opportunities of Mountain Tourism in Eurasia” is organized with the support of the Eurasian Mountain Resorts Alliance and Shahdag Mountain Resort in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
The event is attended by representatives of the State Tourism Agency, around 150 representatives of mountain resorts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and South Korea, all members of the Alliance, as well as from Belarus, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan.
The opening of the forum began with a procession of ski instructors from the member countries of the Alliance, accompanied by their national music.
In his opening speech, Kanan Guluzade, advisor to the chairman of the State Tourism Agency, noted that in recent years, at the instruction of the country's leadership, the agency has taken many steps to develop winter and mountain tourism, as well as winter sports.
According to him, infrastructure has been improved, modern infrastructure has been created in new and expanding areas, and joint activities have been organized with international sports organizations.
Guluzade emphasized that the forum would create opportunities for the development of the tourism sector, strengthening regional cooperation, and creating new routes and innovative tourism models for both Azerbaijan and the countries of the Alliance.
The Secretary-General of the Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts Andrey Kukushkin, speaking about the significance of the forum for the modernization of mountain resorts and the creation of new investment opportunities, highlighted the importance of working out modern strategies for the development of mountain tourism.
He emphasized that strengthening cooperation with Alliance members and implementing joint projects would significantly contribute to the growth of winter tourism and its share in GDP.
Kukushkin also announced that the Eurasian Mountain Tourism Forum would be held annually with the participation of leading specialists in tourism and international organizations.
Addressing the forum, Chairman of the Shahdag Mountain Resort Rustam Najafov noted that the Eurasian Mountain Tourism Forum is of great importance in terms of developing and expanding ties, strengthening cooperation between our regions and resorts, and exchanging experiences.
He stressed that Shahdag Resort's membership in the Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts and the Union of Ski Resorts of Turkic States has played a positive role in establishing broad cooperation and increasing tourist attractiveness.
Najafov also highlighted Shahdag's success as a reputable center for international sports competitions and the importance of expanding cooperation with Alliance members in the sports sector.
The forum will last until March 6. During its work, the alliance's action plans for 2025-2026, the development of mountain tourism, creation of tourist routes, safety issues at resorts, expansion cooperation between the alliance countries, standards in organizing winter tourism, and projects related to expanding cooperation with Central Asian countries will be discussed.
The forum will feature ski races and a festival of national cuisine among representatives of the alliance countries.
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