The Law on Tourism (№ 674-IQ of June 4, 1999) determines the state policy’s principles to establish the tourism market’s legal basis, the foundation of tourism activity. It regulates the relations arising in the field of tourism, determines the order of effective use of tourism resources as one of the means of socio-economic development. According to the law, cultural facilities are classified as tourism resources, and effective use of historical and cultural heritage is a part of state regulation of tourism activities.
From 2006 to 2018, the tourism sector was under the Ministry for Culture and Tourism jurisdiction. The main goal was to bring the tourism sector, being potentially self-sufficient from an economic point of view, closer to culture and cultural heritage, and help the two sectors develop together in a framework of joint cultural tourism programmes and projects. At the next stage, tourism began to stand out as an independent branch due to the vital flow of tourists to the country in 2010-2016. As of 2017, the tourism sector provides about 4% of Azerbaijan’s GDP while being a relatively fast-growing industry. Based on this trend, the Government decided to separate the Ministry for Culture and Tourism and establish two separate bodies: the Ministry for Culture and the State Tourism Agency (№4 of April 20, 2018).
The State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the central executive body implementing state policy and regulation in tourism and protecting historical and cultural monuments located in the territories of state reserves. Ensuring the development of cultural tourism was assigned to the State Agency alongside health, sports, mountain and winter tourism, extreme, business, ecological tourism, beach, hunting tourism, and other types of tourism. For this purpose, the agency was strengthened by the following organisations under its subordination:
- Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau (ATB) – a public legal entity, has the main goal to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in the global tourism market and increase the level of recognition of Azerbaijan as a tourist destination by forming and promoting Azerbaijan’s tourism brand locally and internationally.
- The Azerbaijan Convention Bureau (AzCB) is a lead entity for promoting and implementing Azerbaijan’s business events development strategy.
- The Reserves Management Centre aims to implement conservation measures to protect its reserves’ tangible and intangible heritage assets, develop their tourism potential, and revitalise the economy by integrating the local population into the tourism and heritage value chains.
- “Shahdag Tourism Centre”, Closed Joint-Stock Company;
- Azerbaijan National Culinary Centre (ANCC), engaged in collecting, studying, and promoting national culinary culture, uniting the country’s leading chefs, scientists, and specialists.
Tourism Information Centres function in Baku (including Baku City Tour tourist buses) and districts like Shamakhi, Khachmaz, Guba, Lankaran, Ganja, Sheki, Zagatala, Gabala, Ismayilli, Barda.
Various aspects of tourism in general and of cultural and creative tourism, in particular, are taught in such educational institutions as Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University, Baku Tourism Vocational School, and Mingachevir Tourism College.
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