Florian Sengstschmid has greater than 25 years of expertise within the tourism business. He labored for the Austrian Nationwide Vacationer Board, as regional director for Russia and CIS nations, and whereas in Moscow, additionally labored as a business attaché on the Austrian embassy. As an impartial tourism guide, Sengstschmid supported a variety of nations in tourism improvement. In 2018, he was appointed as a chief government of Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB).
Breaking Journey Information: What’s the present standing of inbound tourism to Azerbaijan? And what modifications did you implement to be able to proceed working in the course of the pandemic?
Florian Sengstschmid: The state of affairs with Covid-19 has prompted the closure of borders and had a major detrimental affect on the worldwide tourism business.
Azerbaijan isn’t any exception.
Undoubtedly, the variety of inbound travellers considerably decreased on account of restrictions on worldwide journey.
In these occasions, our predominant intention was to deliver collectively all stakeholders and gamers alongside the tourism provide chain to remove the hardships introduced by the pandemic and minimise the affect on the business.
We now have been intently working with the related stakeholders to ensure that as soon as the worldwide journey ban is lifted and borders reopen, we’re able to welcome again guests from everywhere in the globe.
By way of restoration, ATB was fast to arrange a four-phase plan, the place the primary section was the lockdown and section two signified the launch of the home tourism marketing campaign.
Part three will observe the reopening of borders to worldwide vacationers and see advertising and marketing campaigns resume.
And section 4 will sign a return to the “new regular,” when vacationers can discover the nation once more.
Definitely, the protection and safety of each guests and residents are of utmost precedence for us.
That’s the reason we launched SAHMAN (Sanitation and Hygiene Strategies and Norms), an modern well being and security programme for native business gamers geared toward enhancing requirements of hygiene and sanitation, audited and licensed by PwC.
It focuses on lodging, meals and beverage, and transportation suppliers – three key points of the tourism worth chain.
To date greater than 11,000 monitoring classes have been held and we will actually say that the dedication, and dedication of the business companions are lastly yielding optimistic outcomes.
We additionally launched the Tourism Coaching & Certification Centre, established underneath ATB, which is a superb initiative that highlights how essential schooling is for the sustainable improvement of any sphere.
Geared toward enhancing service high quality and sustaining the event of the tourism sector in Azerbaijan, the centre presents totally different programs by skilled instructors for tourism business members and utilises modern educating strategies.
One other initiative is Azerbaijan 101 – an e-learning platform designed to help the coaching and improvement of journey brokers and representatives throughout the worldwide tourism business.
The gathering of on-line coaching and engagement instruments has been launched for these in search of to achieve in-depth information about Azerbaijan’s choices.
We now have additionally embraced the large shift to connecting digitally to maintain Azerbaijan on the entrance of individuals’s minds by way of webinars, digital talks, on-line conferences and different actions.
BTN: How do you see the following yr panning out for inbound tourism to Azerbaijan? With the resumption of worldwide journey fortunately again on the horizon, are you anticipating a busy summer season season?
FS: The nation is regularly recovering after the lockdown measures, and a optimistic dynamic has allowed the authorities to regularly ease the restrictions of the quarantine regime.
Presently the outlook is optimistic with a low variety of Covid-19 instances in Azerbaijan and a vaccination programme underway which can hopefully allow us to restart and revitalise tourism right here.
With Azerbaijan not being a mass tourism vacation spot, it will likely be simpler and safer for travellers to benefit from the nation’s sustainable and genuine tourism experiences when the time is correct.
Azerbaijan takes delight in being a vacation spot that gives genuine experiences and we on the ATB try to bolster this distinctive function by way of numerous initiatives and initiatives.
Over the approaching years, actually, we’ll give attention to additional creating new tourism merchandise and experiences, in addition to perfecting the infrastructure to cater to all of the wants of our guests and fulfill each kind of traveller.
As soon as worldwide journey restrictions are lifted, individuals shall be wanting to journey, and Azerbaijan will nonetheless be right here providing unforgettable experiences and alternatives to take one other look on this lovely nation.
With the vaccines now being rolled out, we’ll resume our digital advertising and marketing and communications on this planet as soon as the worldwide journey restrictions are eased.
We can even attend some commerce reveals in individual within the first half of this yr and open consultant workplaces in new markets.
Our plan is to proceed to make use of webinars and different digital instruments till face-to-face communication and vacation spot promotion at commerce reveals, journey exhibitions and roadshow campaigns change into potential once more.
Giant-scale worldwide occasions, comparable to Components 1 and UEFA Euro video games, can even give us an amazing probability to advertise Azerbaijan as a vacation spot internationally. Within the post-pandemic period, the plan is to market the vacation spot stronger than ever earlier than.
BTN: Describe how the lockdown expertise was in Azerbaijan, and in Baku particularly, and the way this in comparison with the bustle of regular occasions.
FS: The federal government of Azerbaijan was very fast to reply to the disaster because it established an operational headquarters underneath the cupboard of ministers to intently monitor the unfold of Covid-19 and administer a particular quarantine regime for all residents of Azerbaijan firstly of the pandemic.
This included a complete vary of restrictions on motion, working, buying and selling, and working which have been tightened or loosened in the course of the pandemic, relying on the present virus state of affairs.
The worldwide borders have been closed, and journey restrictions have been imposed with solely a number of classes of tourists allowed to enter the nation.
Definitely, the state of affairs within the nation was and nonetheless is totally totally different from the pre-pandemic occasions when the streets have been bustling with individuals with out masks, social distancing was not on everybody’s thoughts and face-to-face conferences have been the commonest and handy approach of communication.
Through the pandemic, the important thing precedence for us is to make sure the protection and safety of tourists and residents.
By way of alternatives, the pandemic has allowed us to decelerate and re-evaluate and refocus our technique, enabling us to develop a brand new roadmap to form our actions transferring ahead.
We now have additionally learnt to embrace new digital applied sciences to communicate with our international companions and preserve the world knowledgeable and thinking about Azerbaijan.
BTN: Why is collaboration throughout the worldwide journey business important to navigating the post-pandemic panorama?
FS: In these difficult occasions for the worldwide tourism business, it’s greater than ever vital to reconnect and preserve in touch with companions and business stakeholders.
We as ATB are intently working with the related stakeholders within the sphere to ensure that as soon as the worldwide journey ban is lifted and borders reopen, we’re able to welcome again guests from everywhere in the globe.
It is usually essential to foster information and expertise change, talk with business gamers all throughout the worth chain and share our imaginative and prescient and concepts on what the longer term holds for tourism, be it for the locations, hospitality sector gamers or infrastructure builders.
This helps to share our experiences and be taught from our counterparts, making certain that the business turns into stronger and recuperates from the disaster very quickly.
BTN: What developments in journey and tourism do you see rising within the aftermath of the disaster?
FS: Definitely, with the vaccination course of underway globally, quickly the borders will re-open, and the guests will return, since we can not dwell with out travelling and exploring.
Journey within the “new regular” could by no means be the identical once more, however totally different doesn’t imply worse and we will anticipate it to be more healthy, much less crowded, extra sustainable.
Travellers will certainly prioritize accountable, eco-friendly, socially-conscious tourism.
They are going to belief locations with good governance and well being programs, and lots of well being protocols adopted in the course of the pandemic will stay, comparable to social distancing and travelling to much less crowded areas.
Furthermore, individuals are actually in search of out genuine journey with experiential and transformative experiences that promise real cultural immersion.
Azerbaijan has many inimitable alternatives for vacationers on the lookout for accountable journey experiences.
As a tourism vacation spot, we’re endeavouring to ensure that the native business adapts to the brand new calls for of travellers and gives one of the best journey experiences within the “new regular” following the pandemic.
BTN: Have you ever had any optimistic modifications in your individual outlook in response to the disaster?
FS: The unfold of Covid-19 has compelled us to dwell in unprecedented occasions and the tourism business globally has suffered immensely from border closures and bans on journey.
Definitely, one of many largest challenges has been not with the ability to meet in individual and due to this fact having to adapt to working on-line and selling the vacation spot by way of webinars, on-line commerce reveals and different digital means.
Nevertheless, a disaster doesn’t solely deliver challenges, but additionally new alternatives and potentialities for development.
The pandemic allowed us to re-strategize, make the most of novel alternatives and technique of promotion and communication, strengthen the cooperative ties with our companions from everywhere in the globe.
We have been in a position to give attention to reinforcing the prevailing belongings of the vacation spot, selling information and capability constructing, contributing to neighborhood improvement by way of numerous initiatives.
Undoubtedly, the concept of “slowing down” is alien to these of us within the journey business.
We now have at all times strived to achieve larger, transfer sooner, see and expertise extra.
Whereas the world regularly recovers from the pandemic, I’m positive of a affluent tomorrow, after we will emerge stronger than ever.
Extra Info
Discover out extra in regards to the Azerbaijan Tourism Board on the official website.
