Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
62
The development of tourism products in Azerbaijan has encountered a number of difficulties due to long
procedures and low budget for planning and designing in many instances. Typically, hotel and resort
development require feasibility study to be conducted by the Technical and Commercial Feasibility and
the approval of a number of government bodies such as Ministry of Emergencies, Ministry of Ecology (for
ecologically sensitive areas), State Construction Committee, Fire Safety Department and others. In many
instances, the feasibility has major gaps that can be attributed to low budgets allocated to planning and
design, as well as lack of required knowledge and understanding of feasibility study concept by relevant
state agency employees or private business associates resulting in low quality of review/analysis of the
completed studies, which ends up making projects shelved.221
1. DMO Development
Tourism in Azerbaijan is managed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which started operation in 2006,
and operates several offices in the different regions of the country to manage and market tourism in the
various destinations within the country. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also operates a number of
Information Centers in major tourism destinations. However, their role is limited to provision of information
to tourists visiting regions.222
In2013, theMinistry has established theAzerbaijan ConventionBureau, a not-for-profit organization, because
of a public-private partnership initiative with the mandate implement the strategy for MICE tourism
development. The Convention Bureau goal is to strengthen the image of Azerbaijan as a premium Meeting
Destination. It provided information and support services and lobbies for the interests of local meeting
industry players.223 Recently, the National Bureau of TourismPromotion was established, under the Ministry,
in February 2017 by a presidential decree to promote Azerbaijan at the international level.224
2. DMO Governance and Organizational Structure
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has its regional offices, departments, in each region of the country, but
they don’t have their own budget. Each executive regional body has a Department of Culture and Tourism that
reports back to the ministry, acting primarily as information collecting bodies providing it with quarterly
reports on the tourism activity in the region. While these regional offices may make proposals to Ministry of
Culture and Tourism on improvements in their areas, all initiatives on destination management and
development come from the main office of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, namely the Division on Domestic
Tourism or Division of Planning and Analysis of the Department of Tourism of the Ministry. The ministry’s
organizational structure is illustrated in the following diagram. 225
221 Interview with former manager of Planning and Analysis Section of the Department of Tourism
222 Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2018). Retrieved fro
223 Azerbaijan Convention Bureau. (2015). Retrieved fro
224 National Bureau of Tourism Promotion. (2017). Retrieved fro
225 Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2018). Retrieved fro