The summit of Azerbaijani health tourism will be held as part of the 24th East Mediterranean International Tourism & Travel Exhibition in Istanbul in January-February 2020.

Ruslan Guliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijani Association for Support of Medical and Thermal Tourism (AHTTSA) made this remark at the 24th annual meeting of the Baku club of the international tourism organization “Skal International” held in Baku on December 26, local media reported.

During the event, Azerbaijani members of the Skal have reviewed the club’s annual activities and informed the participants about the projects they will implement next year.

The event was attended by representatives of the Azerbaijan State Tourism Agency, the Ministry of Culture, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs, the University of Tourism and Management, the National NGO Forum, as well as travel agencies and hotels.

Ceyhun Ashurov, president of Skal Baku, said that the Scal International Association of Tourism Professionals, founded in 1934, is one of the longest-running organizations in the world. He said the organization currently has 315 clubs and more than 15,000 members in 80 countries and incorporates all aspects of tourism.

Ashurov emphasized that Skal Baku club, established in 2009, is the first and only club in the CIS. He noted that the club unites about 50 professional tourism workers, adding that in 2019 the club did a lot of work to develop and promote tourism in Azerbaijan.

He also said that the members of Skal Baku represented the country in international events, noting that Ruslan Guliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijani Association for Support of Medical and Thermal Tourism (AHTTSA), headed the International Health Tourism Organization last year.

Then, Ruslan Guliyev shared his thoughts on the topic of “Spa tourism – 4 problems and solutions”. He stressed that the development of tourism in Azerbaijan is among the state priorities. He went on saying that by 2025, joint efforts of the public and private sectors should achieve significant results in this area.

Director of the Institute of Petrochemical Processes named after academician Yusif Mammadaliyev academician Vagif Abbasov spoke about the miraculous properties of Naftalan oil. He also noted that foreign tourists are very interested in visiting the destination.

As part of the event, AHTTSA and Scal International Baku have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.