Agro-ecotourism project “From City to Village” was started in Azerbaijan

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan has launched the project “From City to the Village”, dedicated to the development of agroecotourism in our country. The project, which will be implemented by the State Agro Trade Company, is supported by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the State Tourism Agency.

At the presentation of the project “From City to Village”, Minister of Agriculture, Inam Karimov stated that as a result of the successful policy pursued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, our country entered a new phase of its development. In our country, serious reforms are being carried out for the development of the non-oil sector: “We have decided to implement a joint project of “Agro-ecotourism “From City to Village” with our partner organizations. This project is aimed to forming rural tourism through the development of the agro sector. The development of agro-ecotourism will give impetus to the development of economic and social spheres, as well as contribute to the integration of intercountry cultures.” he Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, said that I hope that proposed project would have a positive impact on the development of rural tourism. “The focus should be on ensuring the interests of the people who come from city to the village and minimizing negative anthropogenic impacts. Rural ecology, rural nature embodies purity. When people come back to town, they bring positive energy with themselves. The rural environment should leave good impression on people.” Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, Fuad Nagiyev, stated that competition in the tourism sector is increasing all over the world. “We should try to present different, interesting products to tourists. In this regard, agro-ecotourism products are especially prominent. Azerbaijan has rich potential for the development of agro-ecotourism. The nature is beautiful, our regions are unique, people are friendly. Our main task is to use this potential effectively, advocate and make a successful presentation. This is the main purpose of the “From City to Village” project. As a State Tourism Agency, we are pleased to be the partner of this project, which will be implemented jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources”. Then, a film about the project “From City to Village” was shown at the event. After the film Director of State Agro Trade Company, Leyla Mammadova,  stated that main goal of the project is to further improve the social well-being of the villages through the development of rural tourism, to open new service areas and to create alternative sales channels, rural residents, diversification of income of rural residents, small and medium farmers, as well as their family businesses: “As a result of the project, the interests of the local population, farmers and tourists will be provided. So that farmers will be involved in new employment such as agroecotourism and it will create new sales channels for their products, generating additional revenue and increasing revenues.” Leyla Mammadova stated that local and foreign tourists participating in the “From City to Village” project will be able to enjoy interesting, diverse and more affordable leisure, get agro products in place and get closer to nature.