Gov’t, UNDP expand co-op in tourism development

The Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the United Nations launched a second phase of a project aimed at boosting domestic tourism development on Monday.

The ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are further strengthening their partnership to reduce poverty by supporting the development of tourism, which contributes to social and economic development, the UNDP said.

This two-year project aims to provide institutional support to a newly established Azerbaijan Tourism Institute (ATI) in enhancing tourism education, to facilitate effective functioning of the regional Tourist Information Centers (TIC) opened within the first phase of the joint project (Baku, Shamahi, Khacmaz and Shaki) and to establish new TICs in Ganja, Nakhchivan, Lankaran and Guba.

As a result of the project, the ministry will be better able to raise academic standards of national tourism education to meet international requirements, enhance tourism services and facilitate the employment opportunities. The project budget of $814,000 is co-financed by the government and UNDP.

The document was signed by Minister Abulfaz Garayev and UNDP Resident Representative Bruno Pouezat.*