A research on the evaluation of the congress tourism potential in Azerbaijan (Baku)

Technological innovations, which are increasing with globalization, affect positively the congress tourism area as well as other sectors. As a result of these technological innovations, transportation costs have been reduced and transportation opportunities become easier to access, making congress tourism one of the constantly developing types of tourism. Considering these developments, more attention has been given to congress tourism throughout the country. This increased attention also creates an intense competition environment in the tourism sector. Therefore, in this competitive environment, congress tourism has managed to highlight its own weight in international markets. This study aims to evaluate the potential of congress tourism of Azerbaijan (Baku), which is an international destination, and to find out what are the problems related to the development of congress tourism and the solutions of these problems. Qualitative research method and semi-structured interview technique were used in the study. In February 2020, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 27 participants in Baku city. The most significant conclusions of the research are as folows: development of congress tourism across the country and branding of the country as a MİCE destination will have a positive effect on the tourism economy, and in this regard, that there are inadequate infrastructure and superstructure opportunities in the promotion and marketing activities for congress tourism. The fact that the number of congress centers is sufficient in Baku city, the existing congress halls mostly available as hotels and the capacity is inadequate, is among the important results. The number of congress centers in Baku is insufficient, the existing congress halls are mostly within the hotel and the lack of capacity is among the most important results. In terms of technological equipment, Baku improves itself a little more each day. The country has been hosting major international congresses in recent years. Keywords: Tourism, Congress Tourism, MİCE, Baku