Shreyas WebMedia Solutions team thank Bahruz Asgarov, Deputy CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board for this exclusive interview. We also thank Malak Mammadova, Communications specialist, Azerbaijan Tourism Board for the opportunity & for his support in making this happen.
1. Please let us know about Azerbaijan Tourism Board
Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB) is a national promotion body established under the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2018. It has been bringing the country to the global stage of in-demand tourism destinations through the global marketing campaign “Take Another Look” unveiled the very same year.
Its main objectives are to support the growth of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry and encourage visitors to explore the country’s rich cultural offerings and experience its ancient heritage. The country is being positioned in core markets as a destination of new travel experiences full of distinctive flavours, colours, monumental heritage, and natural beauties, providing a range of accommodation options from luxury hotels to affordable hostels.
2. What is your plan to boost tourism in 2022?
As part of our recovery strategy from the pandemic, we have been focusing on building sustainable tourism in the country, catering to the needs and expectations of today’s travellers. To do this, ATB has been putting a strong emphasis on reinforcing the existing assets of Azerbaijan, which it has in abundance, from ancient cultural and historical heritage to breath-taking landscapes, organic produce, and delicious cuisine. Thanks to this strategy, we have been able to develop new experiences that are both environmentally friendly and suitable to the health and safety measures implemented because of the pandemic.
One such experience is Slow Food Travel – a concept that has been developed within an EU-funded project. This project was jointly implemented by ATB and Slow Food International, and it was successfully completed in 2021.
The SFT model brings local producers and gastronomic communities in certain regions and multiple parts of the tourism value chain together. It allows travellers to enrich their experience through farmers, cheesemakers, herders, winemakers, and other local producers by learning about different types of food which have been produced since ancient times. This experience is now planned to be expanded to the subtropical south of Azerbaijan where citrus and tea plantations, as well as distinctive flavours, will create a different vibe within Slow Food Travel.
Another important development in sustainable experiences is that there are now 16 new hiking trails across the northern and north-western routes of Azerbaijan, passing through remote mountain villages, forests, lakes and waterfalls. We are also cooperating with the Transcaucasian Trail Association, which is developing a long-distance hiking trail through the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains, and a 97-km hiking route through the lush, forested mountains of the Sheki and Zagatala regions of Azerbaijan has recently been added to this project.
The opening of the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex is also planned for this year. This centre is expected to increase the already-high interest in the amazing collection of mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan and facilitate a combination of experiences from quad biking and zip-lining to workshops for children. It is also located in close proximity to the UNESCO-protected Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape where an astonishing collection of ancient petroglyphs can be explored and thus will allow travellers a doubly memorable visit.
Among other new experiences are safari tours in Shamakhi surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains for eco-tourists and wildlife lovers, the Alpine Coaster at Shahdag Mountain Resort, the world’s first oil tanker museum, and the reconstructed zoo in the capital city, Baku. We are working on interesting thematic routes as well.
Other plans for 2022 include continuing research on how best to develop tourism offerings in Karabakh, where major restoration work continues at full speed. With one airport – Fuzuli International Airport – opened and two more under construction, this region has great potential to develop multiple experiences across outdoor activities, health and wellness, cultural routes, and other directions.
3. Any mega business event on the cards? If yes, please provide us with the details.
The pause during the pandemic allowed the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau (AzCB), which is the main body in charge of developing the business events industry in Azerbaijan and operates under ATB, to expand its research database of possible association events which could be attracted to the country.
Together with local partners, AzCB had already managed to win the bid for the International Astronautical Congress which will be held in Baku in 2023. This event is expected to bring together over 6,000 representatives of the space industry.
That very same year will be a series of events that Azerbaijan won the right to host, such as the conference of the European Association for Cranio Maxillo Facial Surgery, and the 99th Session of the European Youth Parliament. As for 2024, Baku will be preparing for the Leadership Symposium of the University Scholars.
Speaking of the business events industry, I would also like to mention the importance of incentive travel to Azerbaijan from India. Along with interesting experiences, a lot of new hotels have opened, including Courtyard Baku by Marriott and InterContinental while Ritz Carlton and Hotel Indigo will soon open too. There are also interesting types of accommodation that are fast becoming popular, such as runaway houses surrounded by perfect landscapes.
All in all, Azerbaijan has a lot of opportunities to attract incentive travel, and we would be more than pleased to welcome back Indian travellers from this segment too with even more to offer.
4. Which are the most attractive tourist destinations?
The pandemic has certainly caused a tremendous shift in traveller behaviour and choices. I think those who can adapt to the changes observed in travel trends will be among the winners. Here we are talking about those destinations that are actively working on building sustainable and responsible tourism while developing unique experiences.
However, it is not going to be enough. Empowering local partners and communities is more important than ever. It is now not only about what tourism destinations can offer in the short term, but also about how to make it work in a way that they are stronger with all local partners involved in the long term as well.
5. How was the impact of Covid?
The pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for the whole world, and the tourism industry suffered a great deal from the travel restrictions. The very first concern for all of us was the health and safety issue. In fact, Azerbaijan was one of the very first destinations to introduce nationwide health, safety, and hygiene standards through the SAHMAN programme (Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms), which was designed for local industry players to improve hygiene and sanitation across accommodation, F&B, and touristic transportation providers.
Early on we prepared a four-phased recovery plan, beginning with closed borders and lockdown in phase one and returning to a “new normal” with international travel restrictions lifted in phase four, which we are in at the moment.
In the first phases of this recovery plan, the ATB team designed an e-learning platform, Azerbaijan 101, for travel agents and representatives across the global tourism industry to provide them information about Azerbaijan’s offerings across health and wellness, gastronomy, wine tours, and cultural heritage. Also, the highest number of people who got certificated as an Azerbaijan travel experts was from India. These training continue to this day so that our international stakeholders can access relevant information from anywhere in the world, and there are courses added regularly on different themes, such as filming in Azerbaijan, birdwatching, hiking, etc.
What is more, we developed the website salambaku.travel for visitors to go on a virtual tour of Baku, from the UNESCO-listed Old City and Flame Towers to world-class museums and other tourist attractions.
Another issue the pandemic brought was obviously the restrictions on international travel. However, this created an opportunity too, as we have witnessed an increasing demand for domestic travel among citizens and residents of Azerbaijan. To address this and support the industry, we launched a domestic tourism campaign called “Macəra Yaxındadır” (“Adventure is Near”) to encourage locals to re-explore the beauties Azerbaijan has to offer.
Now, with the vaccines rolled out, the daily number of cases going down, and the number of countries from where travellers are allowed increasing, we find ourselves in the fourth phase, where our borders are currently open to 87 countries for travel by air. The situation with the pandemic in Azerbaijan is getting much better and we have a positive outlook on the future of the tourism industry.
6. How many Indians visited last year and what are the measures you are taking for promotion in India?
In 2021, our borders with India were still closed. However, as of this year, India has been added to the list of countries from where air travel is allowed. For this, passengers aged over 18 need to submit both an official document confirming complete vaccination or immunity certificate following recovery from COVID-19 and a negative PCR test was taken within 72 hours before the flight, while for minors only the latter needs to be provided within the indicated period of time.
Despite the long pause, India remains an important market for us. I would like to specifically mention that when we reached an all-time record of 3.2 million arrivals in 2019, the most remarkable markets were Central and South Asia with substantial growth of about 67%, with 65 thousand Indian travellers visiting. We are confident that India will soon return to the list of countries with the most arrivals in Azerbaijan just like before the pandemic with easy e-visa procedures and interesting offerings in place.
As for the measures to promote Azerbaijan in India, I would like to mention that we had quite extensive activities here before the pandemic. We participated at OTM and SATTE and organised a nice media dinner in Mumbai. There were also cover photo shoots arranged for Brides India and Harper’s Bazaar. We have also been communicating with wedding planners from India. We hosted fam trips for wedding planners from Delhi and Mumbai, both virtually and physically. In particular, we are present on the platform of ‘wedding sutra’ with our own destination profile. We also participated in the World of Wedding 2020 virtual event in India.
As soon as the borders opened with India, we decided to participate at OTM as a first step to restarting our promotional activities in this beautiful country. We are looking forward to exploring new collaboration opportunities to bring India back to our top source markets just like before the pandemic.
7. Any message you would like to give to the business fraternity in India?
As I mentioned earlier, we are delighted about finally being able to welcome Indian travellers back to Azerbaijan, be it for pleasure or business. We are also looking forward to reconnecting with our esteemed counterparts in India face to face at OTM in Mumbai after such a long time. India is a very important source market for the inbound tourism of Azerbaijan, and we look forward to working together with multiple parties from this beautiful country to redefine our strategic connection in this new normal at the highest level possible.
8. Do you feel the war situation is going to affect tourists from Russia and Europe?
It is quite early to predict anything at this point, but all we can say is that peace and order are essential for the development of the tourism industry. As Azerbaijan Tourism Board, we wish that this conflict will be resolved soon, and peace will come, not only for the sake of the tourism industry but also for all humanity.
