Real opportunities and limitations of the development of the tourism industry in the postpandemic period Professor Farhad Panah oglu Rahmanov ([email protected]) Doctor of Economics, Azerbaijan State Economic University (UNEC). Honored Teacher of the Republic Associate Professor Gojayeva Elmira Magomed (e.qocayeva @atmu.edu.az) Doctor of Philosophy in Economic Sciences, Head of the Department: “Marketing”, Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University Associate Professor Elchin Bahman oglu Suleymanov ([email protected]) Doctor of Philosophy, ViceRector for Science of Baku Engineering University Associate professor Shahla Huseynova Akif ([email protected]) Doctor of Philosophy in Economic Sciences, Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) Purpose of the study: To investigate the consequences of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the subsequent attitude of citizens of the republic to travel. Research methodology: In the course of the study, both general theoretical methods were used: analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction, generalization, theoretical modeling, methods of grouping and comparison, and empirical methods: document analysis, content analysis, sociological surveys (questionnaires and interviews). The theoretical and methodological basis for the sociological analysis of the strategy and tactics of various countries in the context of the coronavirus epidemic is at the stage of comparative studies and the application of their results in the practice of managing the tourism industry. The practical signifi cance of the study lies in the fact that the experience of the development of domestic tourism in the country in the subsequent post- pandemic period was generalized. The author also developed a research aspect to improve and optimize the development of domestic tourism in the country. Research results: Based on the sociological survey conducted by the authors in the context of new behavioral stereotypes (increased anxiety, concern about the guarantee of noninfection with COVID19, etc.), the short term and mediumterm eff ect of the impact of the pandemic on domestic and inbound tourism in Azerbaijan was analyzed. Originality and scientifi c novelty of the research: The most signifi cant scientifi c results obtained personally by the author and constituting the scientifi c Revista Română de Statistică Supliment nr. 12 / 2020 141 novelty of the research are as follows: the prospects for the development of domestic and inbound tourism in the republic in modern conditions and in the postpandemic period, changes in the behavioral stereotypes of potential travelers: behavior strategies in depending on fi nancial opportunities for travel, their preferences in the use of intermediaries, attitude towards collective accommodation facilities, behavior in the use of additional disinfectants in residential premises, and other practices. Key words: coronavirus pandemic, tourism industry, behavioral stereotypes, accommodation facilities, sociological survey, agrtourism. JEL Classifi cation: F01; F60; I25; O11; Z32 Introduction The success of the oil strategy in booming Azerbaijan is already refl ected in the non-oil sector. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the non-oil sector. Since Azerbaijan can fi ll a signifi cant part of the state budget in the tourism sector, it seeks to develop this sector and make it the most sustainable and competitive sector of the economy. Azerbaijan is one of the countries with a very high tourism potential. The position of our country both in the natural-geographical and in the modern world has made Azerbaijan an interesting place for tourists. The guests of our country have many reasons to visit Azerbaijan. 9 out of 11 climatic zones in the world. A unique case, when within the same country most of the existing types of climate are found on the planet: from dry and humid subtropical (Lankaran) to mountain tundra (highlands of the Greater Caucasus). The largest salt lake on the planet is the Caspian Sea. Its area is currently about 371 thousand. sq. km, and the maximum depth is 1025 m. UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of them is the Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve - a rare monument of world culture with prehistoric rock paintings, one of the fi rst centers of human civilization. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is Icheri Sheher (Inner City) - a unique historical and architectural reserve in the center of Baku. This is one of the most ancient and still densely populated places in the country and the Middle East. Here are located world-famous monuments of antiquity - the Maiden Tower (XII century) and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs (XIII-XVI centuries). In addition, many other unique monuments have survived behind the massive fortress walls: mosques, minarets, remains of caravanserais, baths [1]. The unique resort of medicinal oil “Naftalan” has gained world fame due to the unique medicinal naphthalan oil in its biological properties, which has no analogues on the planet. The resort is located 20 km from the second largest city of Azerbaijan Ganja, in the zone of the naftalan oil fi eld, the city of Naftalan. Mud volcanoes. Azerbaijan ranks fi rst in the world by the 142 Romanian Statistical Review Supplement nr. 12 / 2020 number of mud volcanoes. There are about 350 of the 800 mud volcanoes on earth. Every year, thousands of tourists visit Azerbaijan to see spectacular eruptions of mud volcanoes, accompanied by explosions and underground rumbles. National cuisine of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani cuisine is one of the most interesting and delicious not only in the East but also in the world. Most of Azerbaijani dishes are made from lamb, beef and poultry [2]. Diff erent regions of the country have their own famous signature dishes. In Sheki, these are piti (Azerbaijani national lamb soup prepared in a sealed earthenware dish in the oven), halva (an oriental dessert made from sugar, nuts or seeds), in Masalli and Lankarani levengi (chicken or fi sh stuff ed with ground nuts with spices ) etc. Baku Boulevard. The Baku Seaside Park, aka Boulevard, is the most attractive place for everyone who comes to the capital of Azerbaijan, regardless of the purpose of visiting the country, in 2009 celebrated its 100th anniversary. Modern architecture. Along with historical sights, modern Baku has new symbols. First of all, this is the famous Flame Towers complex, which consists of 3 buildings. The famous Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, a complex building that includes a congress center, a museum, a library and a 9 hectare park, has gained no less fame. And fi nally, the ultramodern Crystal Hall concert complex, located on the State Flag Square in Baku, which hosted the Eurovision 2012 contest [3]. As you can see, Azerbaijan has great tourism potential, including for receiving foreign tourists. Tourism in Azerbaijan is represented by a wide variety of types. The most actively developing are ecological, sports, educational, business, healthimproving, fi shing, hunting, event and gastronomic types of tourism. The necessary legal and regulatory framework has been created for the development of this industry. The capacity of the tourism services market in Azerbaijan can be estimated as average. In 2019, 3.5 million foreign tourists used tourist services [4]. Methods Azerbaijan has been demonstrating high growth rates of the tourism market for several years already today they reach 10% per year, which is almost three times higher than the world average. At least 23 objects of tourist infrastructure hotels, boarding houses, sanatoriums are commissioned monthly. However, judging by the types of establishments in terms of the level of service, there is a shortage of three or fourstar hotels that would be focused on middle class accommodation, whose share in the tourist fl ow reaches 70%. The cost of living in luxury hotels currently starts from 120 150 euros per day, in the budget segment the cost of living is 5070 euros per day. With a fairly high growth in the number of guests, the income of the Revista Română de Statistică Supliment nr. 12 / 2020 143 hotel business in 2019 compared to 2015. grew 2.6 times and are estimated by the State Statistics Committee at $ 265 million [5]. On average, revenues per hotel amounted to $ 412.5 thousand. It should be noted that the revenues came mainly from the sale of rooms (64.7%) and catering for guests (23.4%). On average, expenses per one hotel unit amounted to $ 350250. Less than a third of expenses (30.5%) are accounted for by salaries. Taking into account the statistics of income and expenses, it is easy to calculate that the hotel business in Azerbaijan last year brought owners an average of 2526 thousand dollars in profi t. The potential for tourism development and the demand for tourism services has caused a boom in the construction of small hotels and has caused an increase in the number of hotels in international hotel chains in Azerbaijan Hyatt, Radisson, Kempinski, Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Jumeirah, Rixos, Sheraton and Swissôtel. National hotel chains are also being created, as the volume of investment proposals for hotel construction from both foreign and domestic investors is growing [6]. The total number of hotel rooms in 642 hotels was 49980 at the beginning of the year. According to the State Statistics Committee, the hotel room stock allows to receive about 34 thousand guests at a time. At the same time, 31% of the onetime capacity is accounted for by the capital’s hotels. At the end of last year, hotels in the regions and Baku served 1.9 million customers, which is 3 times more than in 2015. More than 68.6% or about 1.3 million hotel customers were foreign citizens. At the beginning of 2019, there were up to 5 hotel rooms for every 1,000 Baku residents, while the average European norm is 15 rooms. A fairly large market volume is occupied by travel operators and agents who are ready to off er a combined travel product.