OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND CITIZEN’S VIEWPOINT OF ECOTOURISM IN AZERBAIJAN: CASE STUDY OF SHAHDAG NATIONAL PARK
OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND CITIZEN’S VIEWPOINT OF ECOTOURISM IN AZERBAIJAN: CASE STUDY OF SHAHDAG NATIONAL PARK

Author(s): Ibrahim Asadov, Eva Erdelyi
Subject(s): Tourism
Published by: Udruženje ekonomista i menadžera Balkana
Keywords: Azerbaijan; Ecotourism; Protected area; Shahdag National Park.
Summary/Abstract: Growing dissatisfaction with mass tourism, ecotourism had become a major tool for achieving conservation and sustainable development goals by many developing countries by the mid. 1980s. Today, it is a major source of income for many developing countries across the world with being less destructive in the usage of natural resources than alternative economic sectors such as agriculture and logging. This study is concentrated on investigating and researching ecotourism within the context of national parks, more precisely within Shahdag National Park (SNP) of Azerbaijan. This study aims to find the existing gaps, disadvantages and challenges in the ecotourism system of SNP, identify the opinion and level of education of people of Azerbaijan about ecotourism and sustainability in general. To identify these, data were collected, and both quantitative and qualitative methods were implemented. Primary research included a questionnaire survey and interview. As the main result, it can be concluded that Shahdag National Park of Azerbaijan has immense ecotourism potential but this potential is not utilized to its fullest capacity.

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