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Public discussion on the development of the tourism sector held 20.04.23

The development of the tourism sector in the post-pandemic world and the expectations of entrepreneurs were discussed in the public discussion on "Tourism business: current situation and prospects", and the proposals of business entities were heard.

With the support of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA), the State Tourism Agency and the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organization of the Republic Azerbaijan, a public discussion on "Tourism business: current situation and prospects" was organized by the Public Council under KOBİA and the " Association of Azerbaijan Tourism Agencies" Public Union.

The event was attended by representatives of relevant state institutions and business associations, entrepreneurs operating in the field of tourism.

Farhad Garashov, the Chairman of the Public Council under KOBİA, stated that the organization of public discussions on priority topics with the participation of SMBs operating in various sectors under the organization of the council, the event held during the revitalization of the tourism season aims to study the state of the sector and the expectations of entrepreneurs, and to discuss it as part of public-private cooperation.

Orkhan Mammadov, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of KOBİA, underlined the fact that the tourism sector is one of the areas affected by the pandemic, but revitalization has been noted in the tourism sector as well as in other areas. It was stressed that KOBİA supports the establishment and development of business in the tourism sector with various mechanisms and services, also implements joint projects with the State Tourism Agency and other partners in this regard. KOBİA holds meetings and surveys with entrepreneurs operating in the tourism sector on a regular basis. According to the results of these meetings and surveys, the challenges faced by the entrepreneurs operating in the tourism sector are related to access to financial resources, lack of personnel, unavailability of infrastructure in regions suitable for tourism, etc. Facilitating the lending procedure and applying alternative funding mechanisms, educating entrepreneurs in the direction of training professional personnel will be of great importance in resolving these issues.

Fuad Nagiyev, the Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, stated that the tourism policy of the agency is based on an economic approach that it aims to expand the share of the tourism sector in the gross domestic product and multiply the total tourist expenditure to 10 billion manats in 2026. It was noted that the activities of the State Tourism Agency is focused on 5 main directions, such as strategic management in tourism, regulation of tourism, improvement of tourism infrastructure, strengthening of marketing and communication, production and development of tourism products. The head of the agency underlined that certain sanitary requirements arising out of the pandemic have been eliminated in air transport and hotels to stimulate tourist trips and new discussions have been launched at the government level in favour of visa regime liberalization and facilitation. Fuad Nagiyev stated that work is underway concerning improving the legal framework for the establishment of tourism and recreation zones and the establishment of a favourable investment regime for entrepreneurs to stimulate tourism offers. At the same time, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Agency has cooperated with the Ministry of Economy to offer additional economic incentives and ensure financial availability for the purpose of coordinating the air transport policy and tourism development policy.

Goydeniz Gahramanov, Chairman of the Board of "Association of Azerbaijan Tourism Agencies" Public Union, stated his views on the activities of the association, progress in the tourism sector in the post-pandemic period, and cooperation with the member companies of the organization in favour of the development of the sector.

At the event, entrepreneurs' proposals on the development of the sector and the challenges they faced were heard and the questiones asked by entrepreneurs were answered by the representatives of the relevant state institutions.