On 22-26 March, 2014 delegation of teachers and students of ICARUS Vocational Tourism College of Georgia got acquainted with cultural heritage monuments and tourism objects in Azerbaijan co-organized by MIRAS Social Organization in Support of Studying of Cultural Heritage, Heritage Travel Tour Company, Golden Travel Georgia Tour Company and Georgia for Friends Association. The purpose is recognition of Azerbaijani and Georgian cultural heritage tours at international level and presentation of potential of this tourism field of both countries as unique tour.
Georgian guests starting from Azerbaijani-Georgian borders, familiarized with Goytepe Neolithic Age monuments and Shamkir Medieval Town, inhabited in archaeological base in Medieval Agsu Town Archaeological Tourism Complex.
On 23 March, in the morning the guests got acquainted closely with Medieval Agsu Town Archaeological Tourism Complex. They were informed that the town ruins were conserved as it was revealed from excavation in the complex, which is the first in Caucasus. The tourist visits were available with all conditions in any season there.
Later seminar entitled ‘tourism and perspectives in Azerbaijan and Georgia’ was held in Haydar Aliyev Center in Agsu city. PhD and expert on archaeological tourism, Fariz Khalilli and Irakli Ephremidze, the director of Golden Travel Georgia dealt with activities of both tourism companies and tourism perspectives of both countries. Fariz Khalilli spoke about the steps made jointly with MIRAS Organization and Heritage Travel and implemented projects in the field of archaeological tourism and presented short film on this project and company’s promotional film. Fariz Khalilli being the chief expert in the project ‘development of cultural tourism exchange in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’ which will be elaborated with Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan and the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) gave information on importance of the project and great role of this project in turning of Turkic world cultural monuments a tourism object and the possibility of arranging the similar cultural heritage tours in the future between Azerbaijan and Georgia. Later the chief department of MIRAS Organization, Shola Bayramova had a speech on tourism potential and investment climate in Azerbaijan. The questions of the students were responded at the seminar and proposals on strengthening of mutual activity were made.
The Georgian delegation had been in Shikhmazid monument-complex, displayed recently by archaeologists in Agsu, Agsu Mosque, Shamakhi History and Local Lore Museum, Juma Mosque, Basgal Silk Museum, AzGranata MMC.
The guests met with MP Ganira Pashayeva, chairperson of Azerbaijani-Georgian Interparliamentary Friendship Group. They visited Haydar ALiyev bust in Honourary Avenue and Martyrs Avenue. Ganira Pashayeva talked about cultural relations among our countries and appreciated highly the work done by MIRAS Organization and Heritage Travel Tour Company in the field of archaeological tourism. Ganira Pashayeva noted that this collaboration project will be useful in the direction of strengthening of friendship and unity between our countries.
Within the framework of these meetings, next seminar of Azerbaijani and Georgian tourism sector representatives was held in World Business Center. Presentations on Azerbaijani and Georgian tourism objects and international and regional cultural heritage tours were made. Besides, there were discussions. Irakli Ephremidze, the director of Golden Travel Georgia Company and teacher of Baku Tourism College, Tarlan Guliyev made a report at the seminar. There was made exchange of views on last proposals concerning beginning step of TransCaucasus cultural hertage tourism project. Afterwards collaboration memorandum was signed betwen MIRAS Organization an Georgia for Friends Association.
The Georgian guests were presented cultural heritage, local traditions and vales as well as historical pearls of Azerbaijan in the highest level. They had good impressions on Azerbaijan.