Minister: 'Azerbaijan intends to become one of main tourist destinations in Europe'

Azerbaijan is still on its path to become one of the primary tourist destinations in Europe, Azerbaijani Minister of Tourism and Culture Abulfaz Qarayev said in an interview with U.S edition Huffington Post.

Qarayev stressed that Azerbaijan hosted two major international events past year - Eurovision 2012 and U-17 FIFA Women's Football World Cup.

"According to feedback we have from the organizers both events were organized and implemented successfully," he said. "Members of teams, coaches, performers, journalists from all over the Europe and world were quite impressed by the capital Baku and the country."
He added that Azerbaijan is still on its path to become one of the primary tourist destinations in Europe.

"We want to open up more to international tourists," he said. "Eurovision 2012 showed that Azerbaijan is very hospitable and tourist friendly country. We want travelers to explore not only the capital Baku, but also many beautiful regions of Azerbaijan. Regions of Azerbaijan have a lot to see and explore. Azerbaijan is a nice place to visit not only in summer or spring, but also in autumn and winter. For this we are developing the Shah-Dag skiing resort to cover the winter tourism side, with opening of first two hotels planned in the nearest future."