BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 20. Public discussions titled "Tourism business: current situation and prospects" have been held in Baku April 20, trend reports.

The public discussions have been held with the support of Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA), the State Tourism Agency, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, the Public Council under SMBDA, and the "Association of Travel Agencies of Azerbaijan" Public Union.

During the event, the development of the tourism sector in the post-pandemic period and the expectations of entrepreneurs were discussed, and proposals from business entities were heard.

The public discussions were attended by representatives of the relevant state agencies and business associations, as well as entrepreneurs engaged in the field of tourism.

Chairman of the Public Council under the SMBDA, Farhad Garashev, noted that the organization of public discussions on priority topics with the participation of SMEs operating in various fields remains in the spotlight. The purpose of the event, held during the revival of the tourism sector, is to study the state of this area, hear the expectations of entrepreneurs, and hold discussions on this matter.

In addition, the Chairman of the SMBDA, Orkhan Mammadov, said that the tourism field was one of the most affected during the pandemic, but, as in other areas, there is a revival in the tourism sector today. It was noted that the Agency supports the creation and development of businesses in the tourism field with the help of various methods and services and implements joint projects with the State Tourism Agency and other partners in this direction.

It was also mentioned that the Agency constantly arranges meetings with entrepreneurs engaged in the field of tourism, and conducts surveys among them. The results of these meetings and surveys revealed that the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs working in the tourism sector are related to lack of access to financial resources, a lack of personnel, etc. In addressing these issues, it is important to simplify the lending procedure and introduce alternative financing mechanisms, as well as educate entrepreneurs in order to train personnel.

Chairman of the State Agency for Tourism Fuad Naghiyev said that the tourism policy of the agency uses an economic approach, the purpose of which is to increase the share of the tourism sector in the gross domestic product. The activities of the agency are based on five main areas: strategic management in tourism, tourism regulation, improvement of tourism infrastructure, enhancing marketing and communications, as well as creation and development of tourism products.

Naghiyev also noted that work is underway to create tourist and recreational zones and improve the regulatory framework in order to further improve the investment environment for entrepreneurs.

In turn, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Azerbaijan Travel Agencies (ATAA) Goydaniz Gahramanov spoke about the activities of the association, achievements in the tourism sector during the post-pandemic period, cooperation with member companies of the organization for the development of the sector.

At the event, entrepreneur proposals on the sector development were heard, and their questions were answered by representatives of relevant government bodies.

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