BAKU: Tourism is an important driver for sustainable economic development for the countries of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), Secretary General Lazar Comanescu said during the 1st meeting of higher education institutions specializing in tourism education, Trend reports.

“Tourism serves as a key driver for sustainable economic development in our region, making a significant impact on job creation, investment attraction, infrastructure development, social inclusion in culture and heritage, as well as the utilization and development of natural resources and transportation infrastructure,” he stressed.

Comanescu mentioned that BSEC is working zealously to deepen regional cooperation in the field of tourism, first of all by providing the necessary mechanisms of cooperation through numerous meetings of working groups and experts.

Baku hosts the first meeting of the BSEC higher education institutions specializing in tourism education to discuss cooperation, perspectives, and challenges in
the field of tourism education.

The meeting is attended by official representatives of states and tourism educational institutions from 11 member countries of the organization, including Azerbaijan, Trkiye, Russia, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine, as well as representatives of the UN World Tourism Organization.

From January through March of this year, 513,413 foreigners visited Azerbaijan, which is 39 percent higher than the same indicator of 2023 (369,072), according to the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan.

Source: Trend News Agency