Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 19 / Trend corr. J.Nasibova /
Austria is willing to share its experience with Azerbaijan in the field of tourism in several ways, the Ambassador of Austria to Azerbaijan Sylvia Meier-Kajbic stated on Friday at the Austrian-Azerbaijani Hospitality conference held in Azerbaijan.
She said Austria ranks 12th in the world amongst the most attractive tourist destinations and was visited by more than 34 million tourists last year which once again proves the country's considerable experience in this field.
"Austria and Azerbaijan have been cooperating in the economic sphere for a long time, but we believe this should not focus on one particular sector and tourism is a promising field.
"We are ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan in the field of tourism in different directions, including education, conducting various training sessions, as well as construction as architecture is of great importance in the development of tourism, " the ambassador noted.
According to Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nazim Samadov, the number of tourists visiting Azerbaijan, including domestic tourism has increased several times in recent years, showing a positive development tendency of the country's tourism sector.
"Five-star hotels that meet all the modern standards such as the Hilton, Marriott, Four Seasons, Kempinski Hotel Badamdar and others were built in Azerbaijan over past two years. The number of hotel rooms exceeded 31,000 and the number of staff is 6000," the deputy minister stated.
He said the construction of about 50 hotels is currently underway and such names as Rixos, Fairmont, Ramada and Sheraton will be commissioned in the short run.
He added that Azerbaijan has introduced a system of standards determining the number of hotel stars. A similar system is used in Europe and the U.S.
Peter Schieder, board member of ATAZ (Austrian Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce), pointed out in his speech that Azerbaijan has great potential for tourism development.
"The presence of nine climatic zones in the country, architectural heritage and the hospitality of the population create opportunities for the development of tourism in Azerbaijan," he said.
According to the acting head of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) Rufat Mammadov, the development of the non-oil sector, including tourism is a major strategic priority for Azerbaijan and that the tourism sector is one of the most rapidly developing fields in Azerbaijan.