President of Azerbaijan approves new state program

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the "State Program for the Development of Tourism in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026-2030."

As reported by BAKU.WS, the document states:

"Guided by paragraphs 3 and 32 of Article 109 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in order to present competitive tourism products in the tourism market, improve management and regulation in the field of tourism, encourage tourism development in the regions, and organize effective branding and marketing activities, I hereby decree:

1. To approve the "State Program for the Development of Tourism in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026-2030" (hereinafter referred to as the State Program).

2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall:

2.1. prepare and submit to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposals on the following:

2.1.1. within a six-month period, based on proposals from the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan — improvement of the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Tourism";

2.1.2. within a three-month period:

2.1.2.1. issuance of an investment incentive document for projects related to tourism activities, and improvement of the mechanism for issuing an investment incentive document taking into account the specifics of tourism activities;

2.1.2.2. conditions for granting subsidies from the state budget, as provided for in paragraph 8.8.1.3 and subparagraph 8.8.2 of the State Program;

2.2. ensure coordination and oversight of the implementation of measures provided for in the State Program;

2.3. inform the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan once a year on the progress of implementation of the measures provided for in the State Program;

2.4. resolve other issues arising from this decree.

3. The Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall, within a three-month period, prepare and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposals on increasing the contribution of air transport to tourism development.

4. The State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall take the necessary measures to resolve issues arising from this decree.

5. The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, jointly with the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, shall take appropriate measures to allocate the necessary financial resources in the process of drafting the state budget and state investment programs of the Republic of Azerbaijan for each year in order to finance the measures provided for in the State Program.

6. Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the measures provided for in the State Program shall be carried out by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication on the basis of an order from the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan.