On August 30, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan organized a media tour of newly opened public beaches in the Shuvalan settlement, located in the Khazar district of the Absheron Peninsula, Azernews reports.
The event also served to present preliminary results of the summer tourism season and highlight the ongoing public-private partnership efforts aimed at improving beach conditions. Currently, five private entrepreneurs are operating at three key beach areas in Shuvalan under this framework.
Officials noted that throughout the summer season, the Agency received numerous complaints from both local and international tourists about poor conditions at several beaches across the Absheron Peninsula.
Subsequent monitoring inspections confirmed a number of issues, including:
- Unsatisfactory sanitary and hygienic conditions
- Lack of proper infrastructure
- Non-compliance with cleanliness regulations
- Inadequate waste management
- Polluted coastlines
In response, and in line with directives from the Cabinet of Ministers, three beaches in Shuvalan were selected for immediate upgrade. These have now been transformed into modern, free-access public beaches, offering basic amenities and cleaner environments.
Speaking at the media tour, Murad Agabeyov, Chairman of the Board of the Reserve Management Center under the State Tourism Agency, said the initiative is part of a broader plan to enhance coastal tourism on the Absheron Peninsula.
“The newly launched public beaches are part of a pilot project. Around 99% of the services are free of charge,” said Agabeyov. “We are creating space for entrepreneurs to offer services within these areas. Going forward, we plan to expand the number of public beaches and improve existing ones.”
