International tourism exhibition kicks off tomorrow in Baku

Baku. 6 April. REPORT.AZ/ Azerbaijan International Exhibition "Tourism and Travel" will start tomorrow on April 7 in Baku.

Report informs, in this regard event organizer - Iteca Caspian, held a press conference today.

The event was opened by the Director of Iteca Caspian Farid Mammadov, noting that during the recent years, 2200 companies from more than 40 countries took part in AITF. The exhibition held important meetings and signed contracts.

" There is a significant development of the tourist industry in Azerbaijan. AITF exhibition reflects this positive trend. If the first AITF exhibition in 2002 was attended by 26 companies from 5 countries, today the number is much greater",  the head of the company said.

Notably, this year, AITF 2016, the region’s leading travel and tourism exhibition will mark its 15^th anniversary. Over many years, AITF has established itself as a key event and a hub for the Caspian region’s tourism industry, where important meetings are held, partnership agreements are made, and new programmes and destinations are launched.

The tourism industry is one of the country’s promising non-oil sectors. Azerbaijan’s government has always shown support for AITF. In the last few years Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has toured the exhibition and met with exhibitors. Such attention to the industry and to the exhibition itself from the country’s government gives additional impetus to the development of business relations in the tourism sphere.

As the first exhibition of the spring season, AITF will be a central platform for discussions, meetings, sharing opinions and proposals in the tourism sector. Exhibiting companies will present exclusive offers for various tourism destinations. Exhibitors will include tour companies, airlines, national and regional tourism organisation, hotel chains, real estate agencies, sanatoriums, health resorts and spa centres, sport and eco-tourism facilities. The Medical and Health Tourism sector continues to grow offering local and international medical and health centres. In recent years, AITF has also been developing its Real Estate Abroad sector, reflecting the growing demand for property in popular resorts outside Azerbaijan.

In order to help exhibitors to take advantage of travel professionals and suppliers being in one convenient location, AITF 2016 have launched workshop, a dedicated area where participants can hold direct negotiations without intermediaries and initiate contact with leading local travel agencies of their choice through preplanned meetings.

As a platform for discussion, the exhibitions will help professionals to share experience and make useful contacts. To mark the anniversary of the exhibition, the organisers have planned an interesting programme of additional events to leave positive lasting impressions of Baku. 

AITF exhibition will be open to only professionals from 7-9 April and welcome all visitors on April 9.