The 2nd Baku Shopping Festival kicks off!

No country in Eurasia has closer or warmer ties with Israel than Azerbaijan. The relationship between the two countries is particularly surprising because Azerbaijan is a majority- Muslim country. However, the reasons for this close relationship lie in the longstanding friendship between Azerbaijanis and Jews living in Azerbaijan. Unlike many cultures, Azerbaijanis have never viewed Jews as foreign or alien. Israel has always been attracted to Azerbaijan, not only because there is no anti-Semitism in that country but also because Baku has repeatedly denounced manifestations of anti-Semitism elsewhere.

Azerbaijan is working to increase the number of tourists from State of Israel. Israeli travelers are regarded as the biggest contributors to the global tourismmarket.

Azerbaijan, in the Caucuses region, is a country that straddles both Eastern Europe and Western Asia, so expect a clash of East meets West and you will find a lot to enjoy here. Located on the Caspian Sea, there are quaint subtropical seaside resorts, or you can embrace Azerbaijan’s name as the Land of Fire with a trip to a flaming mountain or a mud volcano. Azerbaijan has much to offer visitors at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

Azerbaijan, also called the Land of Fires, is blessed with ingredients that will create good memories for tourists, including natural scenery, people, a historically rich religious diversity, interesting cities to explore, unusual foods, exotic fruits, opportunities to bring home great memories purchased here, and above all, safety in the country. Mountains, forests, farmlands, coastal areas, and nine out of a possible eleven distinct climate zones from subtropical to alpine climates provide Azerbaijan with a broad range of natural environments that can be used to develop a range of tourism activities and to attract a diverse group of tourists.

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New challenges emerging from sharp decline of oil prices at global market made authorities in Azerbaijan to take certain measures on economic development. In this regard, the main goal is focused on increasing economic growth dynamics and supporting current economic potential by new economic reforms and improving non-oil sector. So, one of the main steps taken in this direction is Shopping Festivals held in the country twice in a year. These Shopping Festivals are held in accordance with the decree signed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on 1 September 2016 under the title of the Additional Measures aimed at the development of tourism in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the approved Strategic Roadmap for Development of Specialized Tourism Industry.

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The first Shopping Festival was held in Baku on April 10-May 10. The second Festival has already begun on October 15 and will last till November 15. During a month the Festival will bring together over 540 commercial institutions to serve the customers. Most of such stores and service centers will offer beneficial shopping opportunities for both tourists and local customers by joining to the VAT refund system. At the same time, the Festival visitors will enjoy numerous surprises and entertaining events.

Baku | organizatorių nuotr.

Official partners of the Baku Shopping Festival are the Ministry of Taxes of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASAN Service) and AzerTurkBank.

This Festival will offer innovations for its visitors. For the first time, supermarkets have also decided to join the Festival. Furthermore, several drugstores will also participate at the Festival.

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The Baku Shopping Festival will prepare a Tourist Package and present it to travel agencies. It will include air ticket, transfer, insurance, hotel accommodation and the organization of shopping tours to the Festival stores. At the same time, customers will also obtain special gift cards as well as special lottery and discount vouchers.

To welcome their tourists and customers, trading centers and malls will entertain them with interactive games and interesting Fan Zone to be installed and available on the Fountains Square during the entire period of the Festival.

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To attract more tourists to Azerbaijan and stimulate shopping among tourists and local residents during the Festival, various events will take place in the framework of the Shopping Festival. The collaboration between the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau, Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) and some 4-5 star hotels brings a brilliant opportunity to benefit from tour packages from 10 cities to Baku based on affordable prices that will be far below the market prices. Using such packages, visitors will not only do shopping during Festival and use Tax Free system, but also have an opportunity for very interesting cultural and entertainment tours and programs.

Detailed information about destinations and hotels offered within such tours is given in the table below.

№	Flight destination	№	Hotels
1	Istanbul-Baku-Istanbul	1	Four Seasons Hotel Baku
2	Moscow-Baku-Moscow	2	Fairmont Baku
3	Saint-Petersburg-Baku-Saint-Petersburg	3	JW Marriott Absheron Baku
4	Kiev-Baku-Kiev	4	Park Inn
5	Tbilisi-Baku-Tbilisi	5	Hilton Hotel Baku
6	Tehran-Baku-Tehran	6	Shah Palace
7	Aktau-Baku-Aktau	7	Holiday İnn Baku
8	London-Baku-London	8	Boulevard Hotel Baku
9	Paris-Baku-Paris	9	Hyatt Regency Baku
10	Dubai-Baku-Dubai	10	Landmark Hotel
		11	Intourist Hotel Baku
		12	Winter Park Hotel Baku
		13	Sapphire Inn Hotel
		14	Sapphire City
		15	Qafqaz Baku City Hotel
		16	Qafqaz Baku Sport Hotel
		17	Qafqaz Point Boutique Hotel