17:48 - 5.01.2022

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January 5, Fineko/abc.az. The development of tourism cannot be linked only with infrastructure. Since tourism is a complex industry, an integrated approach is also needed for the development of this sphere. In other words, the services offered by the infrastructure must match. The quality of service directly relates to the star rating of hotels. During the pandemic the hotel business experienced serious difficulties.

ABC.AZ reports that the above-mentioned statement was made by State Tourism Agency’s chairman Fuad Nagiyev.

"After the Accreditation Center of Azerbaijan issued the certificate of accreditation for conformity assessment to the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, the bureau, together with the Azerbaijan Hotels Association, developed the national classification of stars. 17 hotels already operating in the country were evaluated in accordance with this system and received the star rating category. The key point in this process was to ensure transparency. This was one of the main causes why the process of assigning a star category took a long time. Since the goal is to preserve the tourism image of the country, an honest approach in this area is mandatory. Unfortunately, I must note that, based on preliminary estimates, a number of hotels have not been able to get the star rating they claim due to the conditions they currently have, as well as due to the quantity and quality of services they offer. Taking this into account, the State Tourism Agency, with the participation of the Tourism Bureau of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Hotels Association, will provide advisory support to hotels.”