Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
63
Figure 21: Organizational Structure Diagram
Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Planning and Analysis Section is responsible for the analysis of tourism data and development proposals
made by third parties. It also sets development plans and strategies. The Domestic Tourism Section manages
Tourism information centers andworks on destination development projects in addition to coordinatingwith
the Marketing Section on advertising for the domestic tourismmarket. The Marketing Section undertakes all
marketing and promotional activities including advertising, familiarization tours and online promotion of the
destination. The Industry Relations Section inspects hotels and recreational facilities, rates and certifies them
as well as deal with tourist complaints. 226
There are a number of specialized committees formed by the DMO to carry out specific tasks, such as the
Technical and Industry Consultation committees. The Technical Committee overlooks for development of
industry quality and safety standards. The Industry Consultations Committee that would provide feedback to
Ministry on the efficiency of operations and implemented projects. For instance, industry can provide
feedback on flow of tourists from the countries into which funds were invested for promotion of Azerbaijan
as tourist destination.
It is worth noting that there is a planned pilot project shall that aims to establish of at least two regional DMOs
(one in Baku and one in region), within the next 3 years. Intensive trainings/workshops will be provided to
tourism industry (private sector) outlining the benefits of local DMO modelling to gain support of tourism
operators and stakeholders to DMO principles. The project will use two of the ten Tourism Information
Centers in the various regions of the country as basis for the establishment of DMOs in their target regions as
a pilot experiment. Tourism Information Center partial transformation into DMO was a successful strategy in
Georgia. The local authorities will provide support for DMO establishment and operations process. Intensive
trainings and seminars will be provided to executive powers to develop this knowledge and understanding to
facilitate all-sided support to DMO efforts at local government level.
226 Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2018). Retrieved fro
Ministry of
Culture & Tourism
Department of
Culture
Department of
Tourism
Planning and
Analysis Section
Domestic Tourism
Section
Marketing Section Industry Relations
Section