Share of tourism in non-oil economy reaches 3.4 percent

As a whole, the development of tourism was considered one of the main directions in the development of the non-oil sector; the share of the sector in the non-oil economy reached 3.4%. As a result of the policy carried out by President Ilham Aliyev, the establishment of the main principles of state policy in the field of tourism and the basis of tourism activities, the introduction of mechanisms such as tax and customs concessions, the cancellation of a number of licences, the creation of tourism and recreation zones, and the liberalisation and facilitation of the visa regime have created a real revival in this sector.

According to Azernews, this was noted in the statement released by the representatives of the tourism sector in Azerbaijan.

"During the last 20 years, the great successes achieved thanks to President Ilham Aliyev's determination, political will, foresight, and independent political course have created radical changes and a completely new landscape in the tourism industry.

Liberation of our lands after a 30-year occupation under the leadership of the victorious Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, and the victory we won in the Patriotic War are written in golden letters in the history of our nation. The anti-terrorist operation in September 2023 lasted only 23 hours and 51 minutes. As a result of this unique operation, which belongs to the military textbooks, the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan was fully ensured. Today, the Azerbaijani flag is flying proudly in Shusha, Khankendi, and Khojaly. This is a celebration of the purposeful and determined policy of President Ilham Aliyev.

Ensuring accessibility, which plays an important role in the development of tourism, has been the focus of special attention for the past 20 years, as a result of which the country's air, land, and railway infrastructure has been developed. This, in turn, stimulated an increase in investment in modern hotel and tourism businesses. During the past period, the most famous hotel brands in the world have established business in Azerbaijan, winter tourism complexes and health centres have been established, and modern event spaces have been built for local and international events. This process continues today.

As a whole, the development of tourism was considered one of the main directions in the development of the non-oil sector; the share of the sector in the non-oil economy reached 3.4%. As a result of the policy carried out by President Ilham Aliyev, the establishment of the main principles of state policy in the field of tourism and the basis of tourism activities, the introduction of mechanisms such as tax and customs concessions, the cancellation of a number of licences, the creation of tourism and recreation zones, and the liberalisation and facilitation of the visa regime have created a real revival in this sector.

Over the past 20 years, a great development path has been made in the direction of training human capital with the necessary knowledge and skills in various sub-fields of tourism, the formation of a higher education system that allows training specialists who create service and value in the tourism labor market, promotion of state-business partnerships in the field of tourism education organisations.

In recent years, Azerbaijan has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, the European Games, the IV Islamic Solidarity Games, the UEFA European League final, the European Football Championship, the 74th International Astronautical Congress, the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and other such large-scale international events. The decision to hold the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - COP29 in Azerbaijan this year is a clear indicator of the increase in the prestige of our country in the international community as a result of the successful policy of President Ilham Aliyev.

Historical events such as the restoration and reconstruction works carried out in the field of protection of national-cultural heritage and integration into tourism and the inclusion of a number of material and intangible heritage examples of Azerbaijan in the UNESCO World Heritage List in recent years have contributed to the creation of a positive image of our country, as well as led to the awareness of the world community about the wealth and tourism potential we have, an increase in the number of foreign tourists, and serious motivation in domestic tourism.

Today, Garabagh and East Zangezur, which have been looted and destroyed for 30 years, are becoming a paradise. A large tourism infrastructure is being created in these regions based on green thinking, 2 internationally important airports have already been opened, and 1 more will be opened. New roads are being built. Serious work is being done in the direction of the Zangazur corridor. In the near future, Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur will become the most modern tourism centers of the region and the Caucasus as a whole.

As associations specialising in the tourism industry, we can also see the changes in Azerbaijan through the eyes of foreigners. Today, the success achieved by Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev is admired all over the world. The increasing influence of the leader of Azerbaijan on an international scale increases interest in our country. Now more foreigners want to come to Azerbaijan.

We, as associations specialising in the tourism industry, declare that we are proud of President Ilham Aliyev, who has led the country from victory to victory. We fully support the policy of President Ilham Aliyev, who turned Azerbaijan into the most powerful state in history through the path of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

The unified position and opinion of all associations specialized in the tourism industry is that President Ilham Aliyev's policy should continue. Ilham Aliyev is the victorious leader of the victorious nation!

Signatures:

Chairman of the Board of the Association of Travel Agencies of Azerbaijan, Goydaniz Gahramanov

Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Hotels Association, Eldar Alimuradov

Secretary General of the Association of Tourism Guides of Azerbaijan, Tural Musayev

Chairman of the Board of the Association of Tourism Bloggers of Azerbaijan, Azer Garibov

Head of the Board of the Association for the protection of cultural heritage and Tourism support of Azerbaijan, Turkay Gasimzade

Member of the Board of” DAIR " Hotels and Restaurants public Union, Samir Safiyev

Chairman of Azerbaijan Ecotourism Association, Samir Dubandi

Ruslan Guliyev, chairman of Azerbaijan Health and Thermal Tourism Support Public Union

Chairman of the International Association of travel and tourism Professionals, Jeyhun Ashurov".