(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 22. Tourism is animportant driver for sustainable economic development for thecountries of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization(BSEC), Secretary General Lazăr Comănescu said during the 1stmeeting of higher education institutions specializing in tourismeducation, Trend reports.

"Tourism serves as a key driver for sustainable economicdevelopment in our region, making a significant impact on jobcreation, investment attraction, infrastructure development, socialinclusion in culture and heritage, as well as the utilization anddevelopment of natural resources and transportationinfrastructure," he stressed.

Comănescu mentioned that BSEC is working zealously to deepenregional cooperation in the field of tourism, first of all byproviding the necessary mechanisms of cooperation through numerousmeetings of working groups and experts.

Baku hosts the first meeting of the BSEC higher educationinstitutions specializing in tourism education to discusscooperation, perspectives, and challenges in the field of tourismeducation.

The meeting is attended by official representatives of statesand tourism educational institutions from 11 member countries ofthe organization, including Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Russia, Albania,Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine,as well as representatives of the UN World TourismOrganization.

From January through March of this year, 513,413 foreignersvisited Azerbaijan, which is 39 percent higher than the sameindicator of 2023 (369,072), according to the State Tourism Agencyof Azerbaijan.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency'sWhatsApp channel

MENAFN22042024000187011040ID1108122215