Prospects of using the tourism potential of the liberated territories from the point of view of ecotourism

Abstract

The article analyzes the current situation and dynamics of ecotourism in Azerbaijan, the role of national parks in the development of this sector, and the possibilities of using natural and cultural heritage resources for ecotourism. The growing demand for ecotourism on the international tourism market is based on the joint use of the existing potential of natural and cultural heritage, which implies its implementation on the liberated territories. The article shows the importance of ecotourism products offered by Azerbaijan on the international tourism market, especially using the potential of national parks. The potential of natural heritage prevails in the organization of ecotourism corridors. Offering tourists new ecotourism routes increases their attractive- ness. The dynamic growth in the number of people using these ecotourism corridors has led to the proliferation of picnic and camping areas in natural areas. The authors have considered the possibilities of using the tourism potential of the vacated lands for ecotourism, eco-cultural heritage tourism, examined the peculiarities of the areas where this type of tourism is spreading and classified them. Ec-otourism routes are offered in the region with guidelines for the joint use of natural and cultural heritage. It has been proven that the strategy of transforming occupied territories into green energy zones and planning smart settlements in harmony with nature contribute to the development of ecotourism. At the same time, it was noted that this encourages the development of alternative types of tourism in recreation areas for the joint use of natural, cultural and ethno-cultural heritage in terms of sustainable tourism. The authors have demonstrated the possibilities of opening new ecotourism corridors in the region, the prospects for their marketing, identifying new destinations and reducing the impact of negative factors on the environment in order to support the development of sustainable tourism.