�It�s Boring with You. And It Is Also Expensive...�

"You have too high prices for tourists, and unfriendly staff. Infrastructure, entertainment and trade centers, as well as cultural and historical sites are important for the development of tourism. Nature, beautiful landscapes and climatic features are given by God, while everything else needs to be created and developed. You should work hard in the sphere of services," Hans pointed out.

My guest is an active traveler, who has traveled about half the world in accordance with his job. And for him it was a psychological shock to see how a young waiter who serves in a restaurant or a reception in a hotel does not smile, but frowns when taking an order. Is it difficult? Have not they been taught this? Smile attracts and makes people contact. You need to be able to communicate and establish communication. Service is a culture and a business, so you need to train cadres and teach them that.

"It is impossible to create tourism only as objects of rest and roads. You cannot have non-professionals working in this sector. Another point is the cost of living in hotels. Unlike Arab moneybags, Europeans are rational, so they choose smaller stars, refuse five-star hotels, unless their stay there is paid for by the inviting party. A night in the hotels of Baku costs 240 US dollars and more. This is also a shock for elderly tourists who are not willing to spend that kind of money, as it's too expensive. It is better to spend this amount in Georgia," my interlocutor continued.

A separate theme is the program and organization of trips. Baku can be viewed in a couple of days. Modern buildings are not so interesting for visitors, and historical sites are limited to Icheri Sheher. So what is next? In terms of entertainment Baku is a boring place. Where can one go? Is it the Zoo, which does not appear in the program of visits? Is it the Ateshgah Temple Complex, where you need to get by taxi for $ 60? Is it an aquarium that does not exist? Is it an underwater sea walk, which does not exist either? So you can only walk along the Seaside Boulevard.

"I believe you need to concentrate on Baku to make it more interesting in terms of pastime. Go to Tbilisi, where the night life is vigorous: in the nightclubs there are famous DJs and world-class artists, and there is a unique atmosphere. In Baku, I did not see all this," Hans summed up.

The announcement of the beginning of registration for the flight sounded at that very moment. My friends went through border control. On my invitation to come again, they answered: "You better visit us..."

The situation in the Azerbaijani tourism is not so optimistic, as evidenced by numerous facts about the deception of tourists, the level of service in the recreation centers of the Shamakhi district, the bumpy roads of the Khizi region, or the quality of food served in the restaurants of the Agsu district. The journalist Irada Jalil from Sputnik Azerbaijan colorfully described her trip to the Beshbarmag sanctuary located on the 95th kilometer of the Baku-Siyazan road, where foreigners also come. She described the unsanitary conditions throughout the territory, the dirty toilets, the kebabs of meat of unknown origin, and the sense of shame for such a situation (https://ru.sputnik.az/life/20170703/410934120/beshbarmag-tualety-antisanitarija-turisty.html)...

Apparently, the country's authorities are aware of the shortcomings in this sphere, once they decided to put an end to the hybrid activities of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. By decree of President Ilham Aliyev, the State Agency for Tourism will be established on the basis of this ministry.

Commenting on this news for Turan, the independent economist Natig Jafarli noted there are quite many weak points and problems in the tourism industry of Azerbaijan from the viewpoint of legal framework and the development strategy of this business. According to him, the creation of a separate profile body demonstrates the priority of this industry. Criticism about the service in the tourist centers has been sounded for a long time. The creation of a separate body means that modern and flexible management of the industry is required.

A new concept for the development of tourism in an equally high-speed mode should be prepared in the directions of this sector. Tourism for events, familiarization and sports is well developed in Azerbaijan. However, the situation is much worse in medical, local lore, culinary, beach and extreme tourism, in which little or nothing is done. One-sided tourism will not provide a flow of foreigners.

"Officials rejoice at the arrival of Arab tourists, but what about the rest of the world that has not heard anything about Azerbaijan? Comparison with the service in tourism in other countries is not in our favor: there are very few hostels, there are not enough 2-3-star hotels, there is no normal organization of leisure for foreigners, etc. The list of shortcomings and problems can be continued. A modern tourist from Europe, the USA, or Japan does not want to pay 200-300 dollars for spending a night in a hotel. They want to spend money on entertainment, gifts, restaurants and trips to museums. If the State Agency can give a momentum to this sphere, create a new business climate, put an end to the monopoly of oligarchs, and introduce a reasonable price policy, then Azerbaijani tourism will become competitive," Jafarli said.