BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 22. The regions of Azerbaijan are working on the development of the tourism sector, studying the possibilities of demand and supply for each region, Head of Administration at the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan, Kanan Gasimov, said at the 1st meeting of higher education institutions specializing in tourism education within the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), Trend reports.
"We have seen significant infrastructure development in certain regions, while others have faced delays. Our aim is to enhance the availability of accommodation in all regions with tourism potential, urging businesses to invest in these facilities. The government is actively providing incentives in this area. Azerbaijan now offers expanded opportunities for natural, urban, and historical tourism," he emphasized.
He added that steps are being taken towards the development of more niche tourist destinations and extreme sports tourism destinations.
"There will be a major need to increase the number of staff in these areas in the coming years. We expect educational institutions to accelerate their work in this direction," he added.
Baku hosts the first meeting of the BSEC higher education institutions specializing in tourism education to discuss cooperation, perspectives, and challenges in the field of tourism education.
The meeting is attended by official representatives of states and tourism educational institutions from 11 member countries of the organization, including Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Russia, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine, as well as representatives of the UN World Tourism Organization.
From January through March of this year, 513,413 foreigners visited Azerbaijan, which is 39 percent higher than the same indicator of 2023 (369,072), according to the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan.
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