Azerbaijan to build hostels for budget travelers

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

With the development of the economy and infrastructure in Azerbaijan, the young country has more opportunities to gain dividends from tourism.

The ancient land with its oriental roots brings in many tourists who wish to experience the excellent mixture of eastern and western cultures.

The oil-rich country could develop in a fantastic pace over the next few years to become a favorite destination for many travelers.

To adequately host the growing number of visitors, Azerbaijan has a chain of luxury brand hotels – including Jumeirah, Excelsior, Hilton, Four Seasons, Fairmont, JW Marriott, Kempinski, and others – and ones operating at low prices for backpackers travelling on a budget.

That’s why for travelers and for the development of tourism in the country – which has doubled since 2006, reaching up to 2.3 million foreign visitors in 2014 – cheap accommodations like hostels are very important.

Today, if one was to do an Internet search, he/she could see that the country’s capital includes a few hostels and several so-called "guest-houses," whose prices start at 15 manats ($14.30).

Earlier in July at a cabinet meeting, President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the need for cheaper hotels in the country.

“A number of world-famous hotel brands are operating in the country, particularly in Baku. Surely, they have their own price policy. We can’t interfere in this. But, the prices are also high in hotels that offer poor service. The prices are too high in the regional hotels,” Aliyev said.

“The number of five-star hotels in Azerbaijan grows. I am glad about it, as it shows the strength of our country. It’s a prestige. However, there also should be two-star, three-star hotels, as low-income people cannot come and rest in Baku,” the president said, adding that Azerbaijan itself has beautiful landscapes and one does not need to travel abroad for rest and relaxation.

Due to the fact that Azerbaijan will host many large-scale events such as the 2016 World Chess Olympiad, the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games, Formula 1 racing, and the quarterfinals and three group games for Euro 2020 it can be assumed that the country will expect a large number of tourists.

Muzaffar Agakerimov, the deputy chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association noted that it is necessary to build multi-room hostels, which exist in many other countries, for low-budget tourists visiting Azerbaijan.

He added that it is best to start construction in the near future.

Agakerimov went on to say that foreign investors have already shown interest to this field, noticing that the construction market for hostels in Baku is not still underdeveloped.

“Foreign investors are going to invest in this area,” he said. "But we would like to see domestic investors in this field."

Agakerimov believes that hostels should be primarily built in Baku since foreign tourists often stay in the capital. “Only then should we begin construction of hostels in the regions of Azerbaijan,” he noted.