Journal number 4 ∘ Aytakin Gasan Akhundova ∘ Gulnar Xanlar Samadova ∘
Development of tourism in the Republic of Azerbaijan against the background of the coronavirus pandemic: research and evaluation of economic indicators

Doi: 10.36172/EKONOMISTI.2021.XVII.04.Aytkin.Gasan.Akhundova/Gulnar.Xanlar.Samadova

Summary. In nearly 400 days since the World Organization health care declares COVID-19 a pandemic, the world is and continues to fight for living with coronavirus and its consequences, which had a sagnificant impact to all spheres of economic activity, including the development of tourism. According to the WTO, the reduction in the number of tourist trips around the world has brought very large losses to the tourism industry. The spread of coronavirus infection has also damaged the tourism sector of Azerbaijan, primarily the hotel business, the activities of  tour operators and travel agencies. This article examines the devepment of tourism in Azerbaijan during the spread of  COVID-19, examines a set of tasks and measures adopted by the state to mitigate the consequences of the crisis and revive tourism activities.

Key words: tourism development, crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, tough measures, restrictions, government support.

 

Introduction

  Tourism, being one of the most dynamically developing and highly profitable sectors of the economy, has entered the 21st century as the most dynamically progressing sector of the world trade in services. It is the third largest export category (after fuels and chemical) and in 2019 accounted for 7% of the global trade[1]. According to the statistics of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), in 2019 the number of international tourist arrivals increased by 4% and totaled more than 1.5 billion arrivals, which is 54 million more than in 2018. The growth of international tourism continues for the tenth year in a row[2]. The contribution of the tourism industry to global GDP in 2019 was 10.4%  or 1.7 trillion dollars - follows from the report of the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), prepared jointly with Oxford Economy.

The tourism industry in Azerbaijan at the state level is recognized as one of the priority sectors of the economy, in connection with State programs and legislative acts for Azerbaijan have been developed, state investment in the tourism industry in Azerbaijan has increased. In particular, on June 4, 1999, President H.Aliyev in Azerbaijan adopted the Law ''On Tourism'', which served as an impetus for the development of the tourism industry, becoming the basis and core of the legal system in the field of tourism in Azerbaijan [3].

An important step towards the development of tourism in the country was also served by two state programs for the development of tourism for 2002-2005 and 2010-2014. Moreover, the development concept ''Azerbaijan - 2020: a look into the future'' also reflects the tasks and goals for the development of tourism in the country. It is gratifying that in the ''Strategic roadmap'' on the national economy, approved by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan I.Aliyev of December 6, 2016, which includes 11 directions, one of the directions is the ''Strategic roadmap for the development of the specialized tourism industry in Azerbaijan.'' These documents define the legal basis for the formation of the tourism industry in Azerbaijan that meets modern economic, social and environmental requirements, and ensuring the transformation of the tourism industry into one of the pillars of the country's economic development [4, p. 324].

In 2019, Azerbaijan, according to the WEF reports in the overall International rating of tourism competitiveness (The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report  2019), which has held among 140 countries, took 71st place, improving its average score from 2.7 points in 2017 to 3.8 points in the past. Moreover, the indicators of human resources (22nd in the world), price competitiveness (23rd) and the development of the business environment (28th) were recognized as the strongest aspects of domestic tourism [5].

The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the tourism industry

However, already at the beginning of 2020, as it turned out, tourism became one of the industries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was first recorded on December 31, 2019 in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, WHO recognized the outbreak of coronavirus as a pandemic, and at that time a total of 118 thousand infected in 114 states were registered on the planet, and about 5 thousand new cases were detected per day [6]. The global tourism industry is going though massive demand cuts for at least the fourth time. However, the blow from COVID-19 will be the strongest in the history of tourism: for instance, according to UNWTO, international tourist flows during the current crisis decreased 7.5 times more than under the influence of the 2008 recession [7].

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic is also showing a devastating impact on global employment. Thus, according to ILO estimates, a pandemic could lead to the loss of 305 million jobs, many of which are in the tourism sector [8]. In 2019, the global tourism industry provided (directly and indirectly) about 330 million jobs, which is equivalent to 10.3% of total employment, that is, one in 10 jobs in the world [9]. For each job directly created in the tourism sector, about one and a half additional jobs are created, either indirectly or indirectly. The labor-intensive sub-sectors of hotels and restaurants alone employ 144 million people worldwide [10]. These include about 44 million self-employed workers and 7 million employers. Hotels, restaurants, tour operators, air carriers and cruise lines have suspended their activities indefinitely. In the hotel and restaurant sub-sectors, 51 million enterprises find themselves in extremely difficult conditions for doing business, which seriously affects employment opportunities [8].

As such, the Secretary-General's Concept Note on Tourism and COVID-19 was presented in August 2020, providing an overview of the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on tourism, for millions of people. Moreover, this note endorses a roadmap for transforming tourism, covering five priority areas.  Namely:

1. Manage the crisis and mitigate the socio-economic impact on people's lives, especially on the employment and economic security of  women.

2. Increase competitiveness and resilience.

3. Promote innovation and digitalization of the tourism ecosystem.

4. Promote sustainability and inclusive green growth.

5. Strengthen coordination and partnerships to transform tourism and achieve the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals)  [11].

The adopted strict restrictions on borders, on transport, in the field of HORECA, trade have dealt an impressive blow to the countries of the tourism economy. Nevertheless, any crisis leads not only to negative consequences. In the context of a pandemic, new trends in the field of tourism have inevitably formed, which have influenced and will continue to influence the determination of the strategic directions of the processes of its recovery and further development. It is believed that “a stable need for travel and new experiences will again help the industry to get out of the crisis” [12].

 

Tourism development in the Republic of Azerbaijan before the coronavirus pandemic

In our country, during a pandemic, the situation developed in such a way that Azerbaijani tourists to some extent contributed to the development of domestic tourism. Azerbaijan, due to its unique natural, cultural and historical potential, as well as the interest of foreign tourists as a new destination, has every reason for the development of most types of tourism. The socio-economic transformations that have taken place in the republic over the past 20 years have turned Baku into one of the business centers of the region. If Georgia is traditionally known mainly as a country with a developed historical and cultural tourism, then Azerbaijan in recent years is especially known as a provider of MICE services, where the largest events of both Eurasian and world scale are held [13, p. 172].

In Azerbaijan, along with business tourism, the formation of cultural and educational tourism is also considered a priority, since there are more than 6 thousand historical, architectural and cultural monuments in the country, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Thus, the UNESCO World Heritage List includes "Icheri Sheher, the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs", as well as the "Cultural Landscape of Gobustan Rock Art", and the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List includes 15 samples of the intangible cultural heritage of our country. These are mugam, Novruz holiday, Azerbaijani carpets, the national dish dolma, kalagai, etc.

Rich mineral and thermal springs, mud volcanoes, which have medicinal value, contribute to the intensive formation of medical tourism in the country. Especially in the Naftalan and Nakhchivan regions, in Massaly and the mineral waters of Ganja. Unusual climatic conditions, the presence of the sun and the beach contribute to the development of beach tourism in Azerbaijan. Thanks to the ski resorts "Shahdag" and "Tufan", winter tourism, rural tourism, otherwise called "agritourism" or "green" tourism, is rapidly expanding, and the Gakh region is attractive for its development [13, p. 178].

In modern conditions, event tourism can become one of the new, promising directions for expanding the tourism industry in Azerbaijan, as part of the strategy for the development of domestic and inbound tourism. On the one hand, a large number of events are held annually in Azerbaijan, including world-class events (the Eurovision Song Contest, the first European Games, the IV Islamic Solidarity Games, the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, etc.). On the other hand, various regional holidays and festivals are held annually in the republic. Namely: Pomegranate Festival (2006, Goychay city), Gabala Music Festival (2009, Gabala city), Apple Festival (2012, Guba), Persimmon Festival (2017, Balaken city), Grape Festival (2019 years, the city of Shamakhi). On May 12, 2021, in the cultural capital of Azerbaijan Shusha, on Jydyr Duzyu, the Khary Bulbul music festival was held, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Note that the festival is being held for the first time since the liberation of Shushi from the Armenian occupation. This was an important event in the history of the Azerbaijani people.

However, the epidemiological situation in 2020-2021 will still hinder the development of the tourism industry, including in Azerbaijan, which makes it possible to solve certain problems: improving the relevant infrastructure, institutional rights, solving personnel policy in the field of tourism, for expanding internal resources of country.

First of all, we note that before the pandemic, the development of tourism in Azerbaijan was distinguished by significant improvements in key indicators. In 2019, a record number of people visited Azerbaijan - 3.17 million from 193 countries, which is 11.3% more compared to 2018. The contribution of tourism to the republic's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was 3%. And, according to the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan, about 2.8 million of them came for purely tourist purposes.

The increase in inbound tourism then amounted to 14.7% [14]. In the tourism industry, data for 2019, there were 432 tour operators and travel agencies, the number of employees in which was 2,205 people, 642 hotels and hotel-type enterprises operated, with the number of employees -12,481 people (table 1, table 2) [ 15, p. 36-38].

Table 1 

The main indicators of tour operators and travel agencies for 2014 - 2019

Indicators	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Number of tour operators and travel agencies	218	243	272	339	374	432
Number of employees, people	1 794	1 586	1 836	1 891	2 074	2 205
Income of tour operators and travel agencies, thousand manats	31 107,1	36 482,2	36 758,3	41 034,2	56 439,4	63 363,8
Number of accepted and sent tourists	101 406	73 527	63 543	77 587	83 722	99 507

Note: the table was compiled by the author on the basis of stat. collection "Tourism and service in Azerbaijan", 2020, p. 38

Table 2

Key indicators of hotels and hotel-type enterprises for 2014 - 2019

Indicators	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Number of hotels and hotel-type enterprises, units	535	536	548	563	596	642
Capacity, places	35652	37278	40 042	41 611	46 693	49 980
Number of rooms, units	17363	17953	20 330	20 778	22 192	23 865
Number of accommodated persons (tourists)	672345	838 145	1 122 068	1 414 708	1 749 475	1 919 765
Including:
Citizens of the country	279555	342497	345 284	433 476	515 083	603 026
Foreign citizens	392790	495648	776 784	981 232	1 234 392	1 316 739
Number of employees, people	9009	8364	9 838	10 015	11 407	12 481
Income from hotels and hotel-type enterprises, thousand manats	181047,3	183055,1	240 112,7	284 453,9	359 453,0	450 188,5
Expenses of enterprises, thousand manats	147068,1	171730,8	204 852,3	222 192,9	277 680,5	308 342,5

Note: the table was compiled by the author based on the data of the statistical collection "Tourism and services in Azerbaijan", 2020, p. 36 - 37 

As a result, based on the data in Tables 1 and 2, one can notice a positive direction in the development of the tourism industry in Azerbaijan. So, for the period from 2014 to 2019, the number of tour operators and travel agencies in the republic increased by 98%, and the number of employees increased by 22%. In the period from 2014 to 2019, the number of hotels and hotel-type enterprises in the country increased by about 20%, that is, from 535 to 642 units. The number of rooms, respectively, increased by 37% and the number of tourists accommodated in them, by 185%. And if in 2014 the number of hosted foreign tourists amounted to 392,790 people, then in 2019 these figures increased by 235% and amounted to 1,316,739 people, (table 2). 29.4% of those who came were citizens of Russia, 22.9% - Georgia, 10% - Turkey, 8.1% - Iran, 3.4% - Saudi Arabia, 2.2% - UAE, 2.1% - India, 1.9% - Ukraine, 1.6% each - Turkmenistan and Iraq, 1.5% each - Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Israel, 1.2% - Great Britain, 11% - citizens of other countries and 0.1% - persons without citizenship [16].

The impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector of Azerbaijan and measures taken by the state to mitigate the consequences of the crisis and restore tourism activity

But due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the situation has changed dramatically since February 2020. Due to the numerous cancellations of tours, the closure of land borders, air traffic, the imposition of a ban on the activities of hotels and hotel-type enterprises, the absolute suspension of public events, led to a sharp decrease in the inbound and domestic tourist flow. As a result, the occupancy of hotels and hotel-type enterprises from January to March 2020 in Azerbaijan decreased compared to the same period last year by an average of 13%, and in January-March 2021 the decline by 36.9% [15, p. 39-41]. The State Committee notes that from April 2020 to March 2021, foreigners and stateless persons visited Azerbaijan mainly for non-tourist purposes.

  In the nearly 400 days since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the world is and continues to fight for life against the coronavirus and its aftermath. Azerbaijan is one of the first countries that was able to mobilize universal efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, from January 24, 2020, an Operational Headquarters was established under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan, which works around the clock, manages the activities of all state structures, controls and coordinates all work related to the disease [17].

Moreover, the authorities of Azerbaijan, already at the beginning of the pandemic due to the worsening situation with coronavirus infection, introduced a strict quarantine regime in many large cities of the republic. The population of cities could leave their apartments only on the basis of SMS permits and special permits. In these cities, the activities of shopping centers, beauty salons, hairdressing salons, museums were banned, catering facilities could only work for take-out. Since March 3, 2020, the educational process has been suspended in all educational institutions of the country. From March 14, a special regime was introduced, including a number of measures of social isolation, and from March 24 - a special quarantine regime [18].

The quarantine measures taken by the government in connection with the pandemic caused certain losses to the Azerbaijani economy. The greatest difficulties faced by air carriers, the tourism industry, as well as small and medium-sized micro-businesses operating in various sectors of the economy. Many people working in these industries have been unemployed. As a result, by order of the President of Azerbaijan in April 2020, an Action Plan was signed to reduce the negative impact on the economy of Azerbaijan of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and sharp fluctuations in world energy and stock markets. In this document, programs were developed to provide state support to various sectors of the economy and the sphere of entrepreneurship, which includes 10 areas (picture 1) [19].

Picture 1

The main instruments for supporting economic growth and entrepreneurship development.

Picture 2

The following compensation will be allocated to Azerbaijanis.

State support for various sectors of the economy and the sphere of entrepreneurship.
1. Financial support to individual entrepreneurs working in industries affected by the pandemic and being taxpayers in 2019:	80 million manats ($ 47 million) have been allocated to preserve jobs. These funds will be received by 300,000 people.
2. Employees employed in industries that have suffered damage from the suspension of commercial activities:	215 million AZN  (over $ 126 million) will be directed, the recipients of which will be 300 thousand people.
3. In terms of tax incentives, small and medium-sized enterprises operating in areas affected by the coronavirus can count on:	simplified tax exemption for microentrepreneurs; temporary benefits on property and land taxes; benefits for income tax (income) and simplified tax; for temporary exemption from current tax payments on income and property taxes.
4. Almost 200 thousand people registered with the status of "unemployed" will receive 190 manats ($ 110) each:	70 million manats (over $ 41 million) have been allocated for these purposes.
5. 50 thousand jobs will be created in Azerbaijan during April and May 2020:	30 million manats (more than $ 17.5 million) have been allocated for this.

Source: compiled by the authors based on site data: (https://az.sputniknews.ru/azerbaijan/20200404/423570916/Pravitel stvo-oglasilo-skhemu-podderzhki-biznesa-i-grazhdan-i-nazvalo-summy-vyplat.html - The government announced a scheme for supporting businesses and citizens and named the amount of payments).

In particular, on May 4, 2020, in his opening speech at the Non-Aligned Summit in the Contact Group format on the topic “We are together against COVID-19”, dedicated to the fight against coronavirus, the President of Azerbaijan said: “To ensure economic stability in Azerbaijan, with employment, ensuring macroeconomic and financial stability, a package of socio-economic support worth more than 3.5 billion manats or 2 billion dollars was adopted ... provided tax incentives and tax holidays. These are all just a part of the steps taken. In general, citizens highly appreciate the measures taken by the state, "the President of the Republic noted [21].

In March 2020, the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the State Agency for Tourism of Azerbaijan, the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, and the State Employment Service compiled a package that included a number of necessary and urgent measures aimed at the rapid recovery of the tourism sector in Azerbaijan (picture 3 ) [22].

Picture 3

Tourism industry support package.

Developed proposals to minimize losses and complete destruction of the tourism industry in Azerbaijan.
1. Payment of salaries:	it was decided to continue to pay salaries to employees of hotels and restaurants with funds from the state budget. At the same time, it was proposed to suspend payments to the Fund for Social Protection of the Population, as well as other mandatory payments from workers' salaries.
2. Credit holidays:	it was proposed to stop payments on loans to employees of travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, as well as entrepreneurs who have frozen their business for the period of quarantine.
3. Tax holidays:	entrepreneurs in the tourism sector will be able to temporarily take a break from payments of simplified, income, land taxes, property tax, and value added tax.
4. Аренда помещений:	it was proposed to reduce or suspend payments for office rent, facilities, utilities, telephone and Internet communications for entrepreneurs on the verge of bankruptcy.
5. Support for new beginnings:	for the rapid recovery and development of the tourism industry, it is proposed to support startups, the issuance of concessional loans, for the secondary development of the tourism business in the country, it is planned to create a financial safety cushion or a Tourism Fund.
6. Simplification of the visa regime:	it was proposed to reduce or completely eliminate the rates of visa duties. Tourism experts insist that Azerbaijan should finally involve regional airports in the process of international air transportation; legalized tourism freelancers; reduced tax burden for seasonal tourist sites; gave preference to local specialists when hiring.

Source: compiled by the authors based on site data: https://az.sputniknews.ru/economy/20200331/423534619/spasenie-turizma-azerbajian-koronavirus.html- In Azerbaijan, trying to create a lifeline for tourism. 

In addition, during the quarantine period, other additional measures were taken in the tourism sector. Thus, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and the Tourism Bureau of Azerbaijan already at the beginning of the epidemic, in order to spread the coronavirus, canceled mass events and festivals held in the republic. Hotels, travel agencies and tour operators have begun support as part of an entrepreneur assistance package developed by the government.

In April 2020, the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, together with the State Tourism Agency and the Azerbaijan Food Security Agency, relaunched its two websites, tourismboard.az (B2B) and Azerbaijan.travel (B2C), adding an innovative health and safety program called SAHMAN (Hygiene Practices and Standards) for local industry players to improve hygiene and sanitation standards. SAHMAN (which means impeccability in Azerbaijani) is a nationwide campaign aimed at supporting Azerbaijan as a destination for tourism and business, as well as promoting existing health, safety and hygiene standards. This program is part of government measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and is based on the principles of safety, transparency, social responsibility and inclusiveness [23].

On August 8, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan approved the "Regulations on the operation of hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic." The main task is that hotels that comply with the rules, after checks, will be issued with a sanitary and hygienic sign - SAHMAN from the State Agency for Tourism.

Conclusion

And as noted by the State Agency for Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the restoration of the tourism industry to the level of 2019 will begin next year, and in 2023 tourism will be equal to the pre-pandemic one. All priorities for the development of tourism in the country, identified in 2019, remain unchanged. “Subsidies, the creation of a state tourist register, legislative amendments, projects on mud volcanoes and others still remain on the agenda. The creation of the ''Beshbarmag'' reserve is also topical. Only the implementation of the innovation is delayed during a pandemic - indicates the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan [24].

In conclusion, in order to restore tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Bureau of Azerbaijan has developed a four-stage plan:

- in the first stage focuses on leveraging the current isolation period for virtual communication with stakeholders and partners, and digital content creation;

- the second stage concerns the segment of domestic tourism, which will begin as soon as the special quarantine regime is canceled;

- the third stage will begin when some travel restrictions are lifted and the borders are reopened;

- the fourth stage will start when the post-coronavirus era begins in the world. It will include new experiences and campaigns aimed at a different type of traveler around the world [25].

Thus, analyzing the experience of tourism development in Azerbaijan against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can say that in order to recover and to get out of the current situation in the country's tourism sector, first of all, it is necessary to form and study comprehensive, effective measures aimed at supporting economic subjects, depending on the existing financial resources and organizational structures, it is necessary to consolidate the subjects of the tourist services market in order to jointly confront the global problems of our time. 

References:

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2. https://tourism.interfax.ru/ru/news/articles/65670/ - UNWTO counted 1.5 billion tourist trips worldwide in 2019. https://tourism.interfax.ru/ru/news/articles/65670/

3. Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Tourism" dated July 27, 1999.

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15. State Committee on Statistics of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Tourism and service in Azerbaijan ", 2020, p. 38.

16. https://www.trend.az/business/tourism/3182949.html - In 2019, tourists from 193 countries visited Azerbaijan.

17. https://www.aa.com.tr/ru/коронавирус/президент - admitted-in-azerbaijan-regime-emergency / 1771912.

18. https://ru.president.az/articles/37705 - On the initiative of Ilham Aliyev, the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement was held in the format of the Contact group, 04 May 2020

19. https://www.taxes.gov.az/ru/post/1013 - The main instruments for supporting economic growth and entrepreneurship development.

20. (https://az.sputniknews.ru/azerbaijan/20200404/423570916/ Pravitelstvo-oglasilo-skhemu-podderzhki-biznesa-i-grazhdan-i-nazvalo-summy-vyplat.html - The government announced a scheme for supporting businesses and citizens and announced the amount of payments.)

21. https://ru.president.az/articles/37705 - On the initiative of Ilham Aliyev, the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement was held in the format of the Contact group, May 04, 2020.

22. https://az.sputniknews.ru/economy/20200331/423534619/ spasenie-turizma-azerbajian-koronavirus.html - They are trying to create a life buoy for tourism in Azerbaijan.

23. https://vestikavkaza.ru/analytics/azerbajdzan-vozrozdaet- turizm-pod-lozungom-vzglani-inace.html - Azerbaijan is reviving tourism under the slogan “Look differently”.

24. https://az.sputniknews.ru/economy/20210311/426435624/azerbaijan-turizm-prioritet-2021.html - The State Tourism Agency has indicated what it is focusing on this year.

25. https://vestikavkaza.ru/analytics/azerbajdzan-vozrozdaet-turizm-pod-lozungom-vzglani-inace.html - Azerbaijan is reviving tourism under the slogan “Look differently”.

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