BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 4
By Nazrin Israfilova - Trend:
Assignment of stars to hotels also demonstrates the development of tourism in Azerbaijan, Chief Executive Officer of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association Gunay Saglam told Trend.
“Accreditation, certification, audit of hotels and the assignment of star categories to them have not been carried out in Azerbaijan for about eight years. Therefore, we have received many complaints from guests, travel agencies, international partners due to the fact that visitors stay at a hotel that calls itself 'a five-star', but they do not receive the services that should come along with it," she explained.
Hotels can apply to the Azerbaijan Hotels Association in order to successfully pass certification and classification, she said.
"We plan to improve the quality of services provided in this area and expand the range of offers. We are engaged in the classification of hotels with the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau. We provide advice on improving the quality of services by visiting hotels. This is the main task for the next 2- 3 years and will help to prepare for the post-pandemic period faster. We are living through difficult times, the tourism sector of each country has been damaged. Accordingly, all countries will prepare to attract more tourists," Saglam said.
The travel and tourism law was necessary for Azerbaijan, she added.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev approved the Law on Tourism on February 19, 2022, which will come into force on July 1.
The law defines the principles and mechanisms of state regulation, sources of financing for the tourism sector.
