10th anniversary International Tourism and Travel Fair to be held in Azerbaijan

AITF, which this year celebrates it tenth anniversary, will be held on 28 to 30 April in Baku Expo Centre.

In this time, AITF has gained recognition as the main event in the Caspian Sea region’s tourism industry, where important meetings are held, partnerships established, and new programmes, prices and destinations announced. An important event in the history of the exhibition was last year’s visit by the President of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, which, of course, greatly increased the status of the exhibition and was a great event for all the participants.

The Head of State toured the exhibition and visited the republic’s regional stands, reflecting the growing tourism potential of the country. The President also carefully examined the exhibits of other countries seeking to interest Azerbaijan with their tourism products.

This year, AITF celebrates two significant events: its tenth anniversary and the declaration of 2011 as the Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan. This momentous event for the country’s tourism sector will undoubtedly be considered a period of striking transformation, and we predict that the exhibition will continue to grow. AITF 2011 is expected to present more than 150 companies, 23 countries and 55 destinations.

One of the achievements of the show is that all the national groups that took part in the exhibition in 2010 pre-booked a year in advance to participate in AITF 2011. This year’s event will feature the national stands of Georgia, Greece, India, Mauritius, Turkey and Czech Republic.

Since its launch, the show has been officially supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and National Confederation of Entrepreneurs’ (Employers’) Organisation of the Azerbaijan Republic. For the second consecutive year, the country partner of AITF will be Turkey. The country’s tourism potential will be presented by a national stand at the exhibition. In addition, the list of exhibitors at AITF 2011 includes two major Turkish tour operators.

Among the sponsors of the exhibition are the travel company Silk Way Travel. For many years, Silk Way Travel has held one of the largest stands at the exhibition. This year, in addition to sponsoring the event, the company has decided to increase the size of its stand by 25% compared with last year. The official airlines of the exhibition are Azal company.

The 2nd National Exhibition of Domestic Tourism, organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, will be held alongside AITF 2011. The exhibition will feature about 100 companies from 18 regions and present the attractions of regional holiday areas, resorts and hotels in Azerbaijan, as well as introduce the exhibitors and visitors of AITF 2011 to the rich and varied folklore, cuisine and traditions of the Azeri people.


/Trend/