Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Picturesque Baku led Top 10 foreign cities for weekend travel, according to the Russia tourist service Travel.ru, which determined the most popular Russian and foreign cities for a romantic weekend.

The City of Winds became the best in the category of the most economical city for tourism in weekend, with the average cost of hotel accommodation of $20.

Due to its location and developing infrastructure, Azerbaijan, well considering the harmony of the East and the West, is one of the most attractive countries in the region.

Land of Fire reached significant promotions in tourism sector, improving the image of the country in the international arena thanks to the policy on boosting the tourism flow.

Currently, Azerbaijan is able to accommodate some 2.5 million people visiting the country a year in 530 both luxury and 2-3 stars hotels.

Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association Muzaffar Agakarimov told Milli.az that now the prices in the local hotels are very affordable.

“The monitoring showed that the devaluation of the national currency in fact decreased the cost of a room for two people to $25-30,” he noted, adding that the prices refer only to the national hotels. “The prices at luxury 5-star brand hotels have changed significantly, since they are determined by the head offices.”

Agakarimov noted that the prices differ depending on whether it is an individual or group tour. “It is a bit costly when traveling on your own, while traveling in a group allows travel companies to make discounts. Therefore, the mass tourism can lead to decrease in hotel prices,” he explained.

The secretary general noted favorable conditions created for both domestic and inbound tourism in the country, emphasizing that licensing has been canceled for tourism and hotels.

Development of mass tourism was recently discussed at a round table on further development of tourism and hospitality industry of Azerbaijan, where Chairman of the Board of the DAIR Hotels and Restaurants Association Samir Dubendi assessed this as "very important step".

“Our goal is to develop mass tourism, which include the expansion and improvement of services provided to tourists. The development of mass tourism will lead to opening of new jobs, upgrade of the country’s regions in terms of tourism opportunities and mark a significant contribution to the economy,” he said.

The blue Caspian Sea, unique nature of Absheron, Gobustan’s rock paintings and mud volcanoes included in the UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List, the unique Goygol lake, considering the most impressive in the East, as well as the pearl of the architectural heritage of Azerbaijan -- Shirvanshakh’s Palace, and the most majestic and the most mysterious monument of Baku -- Maiden Tower and many others are the beauties that a tourist may experience in the Land of Fire.

Board Member of the Big Odessa Tourism Development Association Fazil Askerov told local media that the tourism potential of Azerbaijan is huge thanks to its geography from desert to ski tourism locating in the three-hour availability.

Askerov stressed Azerbaijan attracts many tourists for its historical, religious, ethnic, eco-tourism and culinary tourism, adding that Azerbaijani cuisine is a well-established brand, at least in the post-Soviet area.

The expert also proposes to adopt the experience of neighboring countries, where this field has succeeded considerably, voicing that with due attention and hard work Azerbaijan may host 5-7 million tourists by 2025.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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