BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 24. The Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Azerbaijan (CEA) is considering a new project related to the tourism potential of East Zangezur, Trend reports.
This was announced at a meeting of the working commission on tourism and services operating within the Confederation.
Chairman of the commission CEA Ruslan Guliyev shared his thoughts on the work done to promote the tourism potential of our country abroad and the four international events in which they will participate in 2025. He mentioned that a new project related to the tourism potential of East Zangezur is planned.
The meeting was informed about the new statute of the commission, successes in training in the sector. In particular, the establishment of the Academy of Gastrotourism with 12 specialties in Sumgait was noted by the Commission.
The Commission members discussed the state of the sector in 2025, and the upcoming expectations. It was noted that in March this year, the number of tourists arriving in our country in connection with the Novruz holiday was less than last year.
The deputy chairman of the commission, Jeyhun Ashurov, made proposals for the development of regional tourism. According to him, it is necessary to create more reasons for more tourists to come to the country. Noting that only one out of eight international airports of Azerbaijan - Baku airport named after Heydar Aliyev - functions effectively, he emphasized development of airports in the regions.
In general, he noted that Azerbaijan achieved a 30 percent growth in tourism in 2024 compared to 2023, but did not reach the level of 2019.
The commission also released the results of a survey conducted on the state of the sector. Based on the results, issues such as shortage of professional staff, investment climate, tax regulation, opening tourism facilities for investment, access to finance, and public procurement are at the top of the list.
The meeting also discussed that an appropriate investment climate is needed for the construction of one-, two- and three-star hotels in the regions, as well as taking appropriate steps against those who sell tourism services through social media without official registration.