Page 58 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Vilayat İsmayilov, Aygun Samadova, Sarraf Mirzayev: The Role of Rural Tourism in
the Development of the Rural Economy
24.

4. DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
So, looking at the number of travel agencies and the number of tour operators’
ownership type it seems that the numbers compared to 2011 in 2017 have been increase
98 units and this increase was 2,4 times. Countrywide Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
the accommodation of tourists and the special weight of public catering facilities have
been 2,3% and it says that it is 5,3% increase compared to 2016 year.
According to the 2018 statistical data coming for tourism to Azerbaijan 76.619 out
of 1120610 people within the framework of rural tourism organization have been
located in special places organized by entrepreneurs in order to accommodate
tourists in rural places. Compared with 2017 statistical data the increase in this
indicator is 12% and this fact expresses the entrepreneurs show high interest in the
direction of rural tourism development (The State Statistical Committee of the
Republic of Azerbaijan. Tourism in Azerbaijan, 2019: 98).

A strong economy stimulates tourism growth. The goals of the visit of tourists to
Azerbaijan in 2018 show that the share of tourists having a rest is 31%, the share for
professional business is 30%, the share of wellness, religious, and other purposes of
tourists is 4%, the share of visiting relatives and friends is 24%, and the share of uncertain
goals is 11%. The share of tourist trips compared to 2000 in Azerbaijan in 2018 increased
by 2159,3 thousand people and amounted to 2840,9 thousand people. And the share of
free time travel in the world has grown from 50% in 2000 to 56% in 2018. It can be noted
that the basic reason of development of rural tourism in rural areas was the high
unemployment rate and the increase of the rising structure of agricultural capital stock that
leads to increase of lab our product activity entirely influents to this fact.

However, in the condition of the globalization of the market attracting tourists to the many
rural areas (Khinaliq-in Guba, Ilisu-in Qakh, Lahij-in Ismayıllı etc.) is considered the
main source of income of the rural population. Besides it, the development of rural
tourism in Azerbaijan leads to the revive of various activities in the village, at the same
time it leads to evolvement of the skilled cadres for the development of agriculture.
According to the information available at the beginning of 2018 year the tendency of
reduction is observed in the number of people engaged in agriculture. The number of
employed population by the type of economic activity is given in Figure 1.

As sees from the information, there is a slight decrease in the number of people
engaged in agriculture compared with 2016. Thus, the development of rural tourism
forms favorable conditions for involving of skilled cadres for the development of
agriculture and this ultimately allows for the improvement of socio-economic
development of the village.

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