Press Release
AITF - 2005
The annual Azerbaijan International Tourism and Traveling Exhibition concluded its work in the Sports-Exhibition complex after Heydar Aliyev on April 9. This year the exhibition presented 35 companies from 10 world countries.
The official opening of the exhibition was held with participation of the Minister of Sports and Tourism of the Azerbaijan Republic Mr. Abulfaz Garayev, the Minister of Tourism of the Dagestan Republic Mrs. Zumrud Suleymanova, the Deputy Chairman of the Spa and Tourism Department of Georgia Mr. Ghighi Kuparadzeh, the Chairman of the Investment Promotion and Advisory Fund of Azerbaijan Mr. Emil Medjidov, the General Sponsor of the Exhibition and Deputy General Director of the AZAL company Mr. Arif Mamedov, and the Director of the Iteca Caspian company Mr. Farid Mamedov.
In his speech, Mr. Garayev thanked the organizers of the traditional Tourism and Traveling Exhibition AITF in Azerbaijan and wished fruitful work to all the participants of the exhibition. He said that Azerbaijan is, today, on the threshold of becoming one of the tourism centers. Just within the past two years the number of tourists visiting the country has increased by 25-30% per annum. According to Mr. Garayev, 52 new hotel complexes have been opened in Azerbaijan within the past three years. Apart from that, construction of 20 hotel sites to be commissioned by the next season is carried out in country. The Minister believes that such impetuous growth of the tourism industry is the result of the decrees and special resolutions made by the President of the country Mr. Ilham Aliyev regarding the given sphere.
In the process of the opening ceremony of the exhibition the official ceremony of presenting "stars" to nine hotels located in Baku and the regions was held. According to Mr. Garayev, all the sites engaged in the hotel business will receive their "stars" by the end of the year. The Minister said that the "stars" was presented in accordance with the services offered by the hotel complexes, and expressed his hope that the hotels attributed to a lower category would do their best to increase the quality of their work.
Within the three days of its work the exhibition was visited by 6144 visitors.
The Minister of Youths, Sports and Tourism Mr. Abulfaz Garayev said that there is great potential for development of tourism in Azerbaijan. That's why interest in the AITF exhibition grows year by year. Next year, on April 20-22, the exhibition will celebrate its 5th Anniversary. The task of the AITF annual exhibition is to visually and brightly demonstrate the tourism potential of Azerbaijan, to develop the beautiful places of the country and to serve as an active and effective tool for promotion of tourist proposals to the world service market.