A number of presentations dedicated to Azerbaijan’s tourism potential are being held in Russia's Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Kazan on August 27-29, according to the Azerbaijan State Tourism Agency.
Three hotels, 10 Azerbaijani and about 100 Russian travel companies participate in the presentations.
According to head of the PR Department of the State Agency for Tourism Kenan Guluzade, the B2B (business to business) meetings are held among the organizations specializing in various spheres of tourism, during which the cooperation opportunities are discussed and views are exchanged for future partnership.
"Both countries are interested in close cooperation in the field of tourism. The projects are aimed at creating new tourist routes between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as at developing resorts and sanatoriums," he said.
In this regard, Guluzade drew attention to the fact that due to the fact that there are nine climatic zones in Azerbaijan, the country is a recognizable and attractive tourist destination for Russian citizens both in summer and winter. In addition, the high level of local hotels and sanatoriums is known, tourists are also attracted by a variety of excursion programs. The country's other important advantages are the possibility of visa-free entry and the fact there is no language barrier.
For Azerbaijani tourists, Moscow and St. Petersburg retain the status of the most popular Russian cities. Among the most favorite resorts are Mineralnye Vody in the North Caucasus. "In addition, now Azerbaijani tourists more often choose Zheleznovodsk for recreation and treatment. Last year, 1,500 Azerbaijani tourists visited this Russian city," the head of the PR Department of the State Agency for Tourism said.
Also there are several sanatoriums in the North Caucasus built with Azerbaijani investments, one of them is the Istochnik modern sanatorium in Essentuki.
"In addition, the countries are working on a joint project to build a resort complex in Kislovodsk and a sanatorium in Zheleznovodsk. The commissioning of these facilities is scheduled for 2020," welcometimes.ru cited him as saying.
According to Guluzade, ski resorts in Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus also actively cooperate. "The possibility of connecting Azerbaijani and Russia's North Caucasian resorts with a single ski pass was discussed during a business forum in Grozny in December 2018," he said, adding that they plan to organize Caspian cruises in the future in order to increase the tourism potential of the countries.
Senior Lecturer of the Department of Management and Business at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of RANEPA, Yevgeny Itsakov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Azerbaijan's tourism industry is being developed very actively.
"A lot has already been done in Baku in order to develop the business component of tourism - there is a business cluster, leading chain-branded hotels. The capital also has a good seaside resort and a wonderful historical city center. That is, Baku is interesting for both business, recreational and cultural tourism, he drew attention.
"The modern Heydar Aliyev airport should also be noted, the same goes to the transport and hotel infrastructure, as well as friendly attitude of Azerbaijanis to foreigners. There is also a large Russian-speaking community in the country," Yevgeny Itskov emphasized.
"Azerbaijan’s ski resorts should also be noted. That is, the country has a lot of interesting things, and everyone can choose their own type of vacation. Today Azerbaijan is an attractive and fairly inexpensive destination," the Senior Lecturer of the Department of Management and Business at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of RANEPA concluded.
