On July 28, at the direction of the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, a meeting was held between the leadership of the country's civil aviation and tourism industry. Attended by the President of AZAL – Mr. Jahangir Asgarov, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency – Mr. Fuad Nagiyev, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board– Mr. Florian Zengstshmid, the primary focus of negotiations was the development of the tourism sector during the pandemic and the role of civil aviation in this regard.
Mr. Nagiyev noted that to increase the competitiveness of the industry the involvement of all its subjects in the decision-making process is required with the decisions being taken quickly and the reaction being dynamic and effective. One of the most important factors that can and should contribute to the restoration and development of tourism is the travel accessibility of the country.
The President of AZAL noted that taking into consideration the wishes of travel companies outlined previously via videoconference, starting from August 1, the National Air Carrier of Azerbaijan will open offline sales in Azerbaijan through the Global Distribution System (GDS) to its direct agents. At the same time, according to Mr. Jahangir Askerov, it is necessary to understand that the main source of income for tour operators should be not only the sale of air tickets but rather the sale of ready-made tour packages as is practiced all over the world.