(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Laman Ismayilova read more Azerbaijan has been selected as a country partner of the World
Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) 'Fundamentals of Hotel
Sustainability' program.
The decision was announced at a press conference in Berlin,
which brought together Chief Executive Officer of Azerbaijani
Tourism Board (ATB) Florian Sengstschmid; President of World Travel
and Tourism Council Julia Simpson; Chief Executive Officer of
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance Glenn Mandziuk and Global Senior
Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate
Communications for Radisson Hotel Group Inge Huijbrechts, Azernews
reports.
At a press conference, it was noted that the main goal of the
program is to achieve the implementation of a number of globally
accepted criteria in hotels in order to promote sustainable
tourism.
The program consists of 12 criteria grouped into 3 areas:
Efficiency (reducing energy and water waste, minimizing carbon
emissions, etc.), Planet (reusing consumables in hotels, using
environmentally friendly cleaning products, etc.), and People
(benefiting the community and reducing inequality).
Speaking at the press conference, Florian Sengstschmid noted
that Fundamentals of Hotel Sustainability serves as an important
complement to Azerbaijan's sustainable tourism development
strategy.
The Azerbaijani Hotel Association is entrusted to carry out the
program in Azerbaijan.
The participants in the press conference were also informed
about the Slow Food travel program, restoration works carried out
in Basgal, and the role of these projects in improving the welfare
of local communities, protecting fauna and flora, and supporting
small businesses.
Azerbaijan's tourism potential was also showcased at the
international tourism fair ITB Berlin.
For over 50 years, ITB has been showcasing the travel sector,
hosting network events and trade fairs.
Nearly 15 partners, including the Azerbaijan Hotel Association,
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), Absheron Hotel Group, InterContinental
Baku, and a number of leading travel agencies, took part in the
fair to promote the country's tourism potential.
Speaking at the event, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board
Florian Sengstschmid, told euronews that a lot of new projects and
experiences have been developed over the past years: new hotel
openings, so the industry is very active and vivid.
On the first day of the fair, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany
Nasimi Agayev visited the country's stand.
On the same day, an event was held at the Azerbaijani national
stand to present the World Travel and Tourism Organization's
program 'Fundamentals of hotel sustainability'.
It was noted that Azerbaijan makes confident steps to develop
the country's hotel industry.
Around 150 hotels have already applied to the National Star
Classification, which has been successfully implemented for two
years.
At the same time, the classification of about 100 hotels was
completed by the end of the last year. Some 44 hotels were awarded
3,4, and 5 stars.
The increase in the number of hotels with a star certificate is
expected to stimulate the growth of the hotel industry in
Azerbaijan.
Major activities have also been carried out in liberated
territories to revive tourism.
In the near future, Karabakh is expected to be a major tourism
destination. Currently, both luxury and mid-level hotels are being
built in Shusha and Agdam.
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