Azerbaijan as a Tourist Destination in the Post-COVID Era
The global pandemic that hit every aspect of the tourism industry accelerated a lot of new and unexpected trends, all at once. The value of the tourism sector has dramatically changed with the start of global recovery.
One of the trends that we witness now is how people lean towards local tourism products, spend time in the nature and choose less crowded destinations. Yet these directions are not new to Azerbaijan or something that needs to be incorporated to the strategy from scratch. Because “reimagining” and “rethinking” tourism with the focus on the locals have been in the core of what Azerbaijan has been doing since the country embarked on its tourism strategy back in 2018.
One of such projects is Slow Food Travel (SFT) program that Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB) started in 2021 to honour and preserve the age-old methods and products that are in danger of extinction.
The SFT not only aims to preserve local cuisine, but also promotes sustainable travel with positive impact on economic regeneration and well-being of rural regions. As we connect hundreds of local producers, farmers, butchers, beekeepers, cheese and winemakers with restaurants and hotel chains, we contribute to the enhancement of livelihood of those people in remote areas of the country.
Currently, this project embraces the north-west of Azerbaijan and is planned to be expanded to the south of Azerbaijan which is rich with an amazing choice of products.
With more interest in nature getaways, ATB implemented a number of new tourist experiences in the regions. Since the pandemic 16 hiking trails have been renovated in the northern and north-western routes across Azerbaijan. These routes not only provide every traveller with an access to marvellous locations but also are built in such a way that tourists can easily plan a post-hike trip to the closest cities, lakes, or various sightseeing. Each nearby city or village has a number of authentic restaurants, cafes or farms where one can stop by for the traditional feast. Such a combination allows tourists to merge into the experience of nature, culture, history and gastronomy without a necessity to travel far distance.
With the increased interest to ecotourism, ATB has been actively developing birdwatching here in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has recorded some 400 species of birds, and advantage of short distances between birdwatching sites. It brings the value of understanding the benefits of local recourses and how much more it can give back to the community if properly conserved. Practice of birdwatching once again demonstrates the uniqueness of landscapes and habitats in Azerbaijan which we take as one of the essentials of our tourism strategy.
In the modern globalization era, more people strive and travel for exquisite cultural experiences. Azerbaijan has many unique cultural experiences and products among which villages of Basgal and Lahij have been attractive a lot of interest. The legacy of Silk Road can be witnessed in Basgal, the home of traditional silk headscarves – kelghayi. This traditional head accessory is made from natural local resources with a unique batik technique. Another pretty little village of Lahij inherited over 40 different crafts that have been practiced for over 2,000 years. They included hat making, leather production, blacksmithing and carpet weaving. We see these unique traditions of crafts as a way to develop local tourism and turn the available resources into ultimate renewable energy.
Basgal
Lahji
Sustainable tourism brings a lot of benefits as it lessens the dependency on new recourses, decreases pollution and creates better social and economic environment. Here at ATB we believe that such responsible and versatile approach should become in a new normal for more positive impact of tourism and preservation of the best we inhered.
