Sustainable development of the tourism industry in Azerbaijan

Tourism, as the most profitable and rapidly growing business, guarantees the acceleration of economic growth for the countries, serving also as a means of dissemination of its geographic resources, opportunities and culture. Favorable climatic conditions, numerous historical and cultural resources, good transport and geographical position, available labor resources and adequate food supply are considered the main conditions for the development of tourism. At present, tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy, contributing 10% of GDP. This figure is 4.1% in Azerbaijan. Tourism industry plays an important role in the creation of a secondary sector, providing also employment. It contributes to the activation of foreign trade as well. Moreover, tourism has great influence on the main sectors of the economy, giving impetus to sociopolitical development. Because of that, the objective of this research is to analyze the economic and geographical problems of the tourism industry in Azerbaijan Republic taking into account the peculiarities of its natural conditions and economic development.