Today.Az » Business » Hotel revenues jump in Azerbaijan
16 April 2014 [16:55] - Today.Az


By AzerNews

The total revenue of hotels and hotel-type facilities in Azerbaijan increased by 11.2 percent in 2013.

The news was announced by Azerbaijan's State Statistics Committee on April 15.

Revenues reached 171.3 million manats (about $218 million) last year, compared to the figure of 2012, the committee said.

There are 530 hotels and hotel-type facilities in the country, 5.1 percent of which are state and 94.9 percent are private ones.

Most of these revenues (64.7 percent) come from renting rooms and 23.4 percent from food and beverages.

The cost of hotels and hotel-type facilities have also increased, amounting to 145.5 million manats outgrown by 31.4 percent.

This increase will also lead to the enlargement of the staff. The average number of employees at hotels increased by 938 people in a year and reached 8,259, with the average monthly wages at 448.1 manats ($570) per employee.

The occupancy rate of hotels was 13.5 percent in 2013. Maximum occupancy rate was recorded in Baku, Nakhchivan, Agstafa, Gabala, Masalli, Khachmaz, Lankaran, Guba, Shamakhi, Gakh, Gusar, and Shaki.

The number of tourists who visited Azerbaijan in 2013 reached 2.4 million, and they spent some $700-800 a week on accommodations, food, and cultural programs.

Beside five-star hotels in the capital, there are a growing number of three- and four-star hotels costing $80-100 a day.

Currently, Azerbaijan's Culture and Tourism Ministry is monitoring the activities of hotels and travel agencies in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula to make sure that their activities comply with the state's standards in terms of services.

The Ministry will also make sure that hotels and travel agencies will offer high-level services during the First European Games Baku 2015.

Such monitoring is planned to be conducted in three stages in 2014. The first stage has already started in Baku and Absheron, and will last until April 29.

The next stages will be held before the summer season from June 23 to July 22 in other regions of Azerbaijan.

After the summer season, monitoring will continue in Baku and Absheron from October 15 to November 13.

There are currently 241 travel agencies and 258 licensed hotels and hotel-type facilities in Azerbaijan.

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