Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr I. Khalilova / The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic jointly with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will open the 5th regional tourism information centre in the Guba region on 13 May. The opening ceremony is expected to be attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Abulfaz Garayev, and the resident-coordinator of the UNDP, Bruno Pueza.
Within the framework of the second stage of the project, the implementation of which began on 2 April, 2007, four regional centres will be opened in Guba, Lenkoran, Ganja, and Zagatala. The centres established within the first stage of the project are already in operation (in Shamakhy, Sheky, Khachmaz, and Baku).
The main purpose of the centres is to inform the tourists of the area, tourism units, and routes. A tourism portal turizm.az is planned to be created soon. The preparation work in this connection will be completed by the end of May. The portal will enable the tourists to get information on the regions, tourism routes, hotels, and companies.
The expenditures of the first stage of the project make up to $240,000. The funds were allotted by the UNDP and the Azerbaijani government in equal parts. The second part of the project is assessed at $410,000, part of which will be allocated as assistance to the newly established Institute of Tourism.
The implementation of the project began in 2004 within the frames of the State Program on Reduction of Poverty in Azerbaijan (2003-2005). The first stage was completed in the middle of 2006. The second stage will take 2 years.