‘Our main goals while developing tourism, agritourism in particular, in the region are to involve the local villagers in the field and create employment opportunities,’ said Elgun Javadov, department head at the State Tourism Agency, during a media tour to Sim village in Astara, organized by the STA. He noted that the promotional campaigns run by the Agency have discovered and boosted the agritourism potential of various villages, including Sim.
‘The Agency regularly undertakes projects to establish and develop infrastructure in selected villages within the state program for socio-economic development. Alongside Sim in Astara, these villages also include Laza in Gusar, Ivanovka in Ismayilli, Duruja in Qabala, Ilisu and Saribash in Qakh. We’re not only building tourism infrastructure but also developing and beautifying these villages. We intend to expand the list of these villages’, he added.
Elgun Javadov informed the journalists that the grant competition organized by the STA this year envisages implementing two projects in Sim – developing beekeeping industry and creating various infrastructure facilities, including sales booths, a museum building, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, etc.
‘These efforts have significantly increased the number of tourists visiting Sim over the past two years. Over 2,000 tourists visited the village in the summer months. We expect the number to grow some more as we continue our projects aimed at developing and modernizing the infrastructure here’, he explained.
The department head stated that the agency has also published a guidebook for village guests houses and a manual for agritourism farms.
‘These books are actively used during various training sessions in the regions’, he concluded.
Sabina Hasanova
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