Development directions for tourism after coronavirus announced

Restoration and development of the tourism sector in the country after coronavirus pandemic will be carried out in four stages, Florian Sengstschmid, the CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), said at an online meeting with Russian journalists.

According to him, the government allocated EUR 500 million as credit and finance guarantees to support the economy during the current lockdown, and it enabled the implementation of a number of large projects in tourism infrastructure. Shaki Tourism Center was also named among these projects.

Once the epidemiological situation stabilizes in the country, the government will gradually create a condition for domestic tourism. Therefore, the ATB is working on a marketing strategy for the local tourism market.

In the third stage, it is planned to return to the markets of the neighboring countries. As part of the preparation for this stage, several online measures are being prepared for Russia’s tourism companies, as well as ATB’s information office is planned to be opened in this country.

‘Although it’s planned to open some borders and resume flights in the fourth stage, we don’t know yet how it will happen, and the situation of tourism will be. The Czech Republic and Austria said the situation would be favorable in mid-May. I agree with this, but it is not very easy to say that all ties among the countries will be restored. The priority for us is how our infrastructure will be opened. Moreover, security and cleanliness will be on the focus,’ he said.

ATB CEO said: ‘Our current plans include travels to nature, avoidance of mass events. Along with this, we think that the demand in the first times will be for places such as cottages, boutique hotels, small accommodations.’

According to UNWTO, Azerbaijan received 2,454 tourists and earned $3,012,000,000 in 2017. For the volume of income, Azerbaijan is ahead of Armenia and Georgia.