Membership

Azerbaijan Ecotourism Association kindly invites you to join its Membership for the purpose of cooperation for development of eco-culture, ecotourism and eco-hospitality industry in the country, as well as every company and individuals involved in these fields.

Azerbaijan Ecotourism Association works in the following spheres:

• Protection and promotion of the professional interests and benefits of Members; 
• Informative, advertising, research and methodological activity;
• Providing legal, economic and social assistance; 
• Consolidation of the tourism industry’s participants including hotels and restaurants, establishment of mutual relations with other players of hospitality market and increasing professional networking;
• İmprovement of professional knowledge and skills of the staff involved in ecotourism, eco-hotels and eco-restaurants;
• İmplementation and promotion of modern and leading environment services and eco-management methods used in tourism and hospitality industry;
• Achieving goals and tasks of ecotourism and eco-hospitality businesses; protection of general interests and benefits through extending corporate and personal relationship;
• Closely involving in different programs and projects of the government, non-governmental organizations and private sector.

Association Membership Charter

General Conditions

1. This Charter is based on the Statue of the Association and determines rules for acceptance into its membership, for payment of membership fees and exclusion from membership.
2. Who can be Association Member:

• The enterprises engaged in tourism, hotel and restaurant businesses as well as in auxiliary field; commercial and non-commercial organizations; adults (older than 18 years); who takes active part or assists in activity of the Association, adopts the terms and conditions of the Association Statue and other legal normative acts, regularly pays membership fee; Founders of the Association; and generally, everyone who matches regulations and requirements applied to Association membership.

1. Members of the Association have to agree and follow The Association Program, its goals and tasks.

Membership Rules

1. The rules and conditions for accepting into the Association Membership indicated in the Azerbaijan Ecotourism Association’s Membership Rules.
2. The decision about acceptance into the Membership is approved by the Executive Board of the Association.

The rules and terms for excluding from the membership

1. The Association Membership is terminated in the following cases:

• Resigning the Association by own wish.
• Dismissal from the Association Membership.

1. Resigning from Membership is realized by writing an Application to the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Association.
2. Executive Board carries out the following within one month since Application is submitted:

• resolves issues about resigning Association Member;
• includes the matter about resigning (dismissal) Membership into the Agenda of the next (the soonest) Executive Board Meeting.

1. Executive Board be able to consider the issue about unilateral exclusion from the Association Membership by the own initiative in cases if Member of the Association:

• does not provide the documents and information required in definite manner and time by the Executive Board;
• constantly and blatantly violates the decisions of the Statue of the Association, General Assembly, The Executive Board and internal documents;
• violates assumed liabilities as well as rules of confidentiality, non pay or rejection to pay the membership fees during more than 6 months;
• provides wrong information about itself to Association or purposefully provides wrong and confidential information about the Association and its Members to third parties;
• liquidation of legal person;
• in case of death individual Member of the Association.

1. Those, who resigned from Membership of the Association, have no right to claim for the property or the value of the Association. Membership fees (and other purposeful payments) are not redeemed.
2. Dismissal from the Association Membership may be also granted by the other reasons prescribed in the Legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic.

Other conditions

1. The Membership Charter is approved by the Association Executive Board. Addenda and amendments to the current Charter are carried out by the decision of the Executive Board.
2. In case of changes in the Legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic which brings conflict with the rules of the current Charter or a part of it, the rules lose their force and the Members are guided by the State Legislation unless proper changes are made in Charter by the Association Executive Board.

Association Membership Acceptance Rules

1. The Association is open for new members
2. Association Membership is voluntary.
3. Regardless of kind of property the enterprises engaged in tourism, hotel and restaurant businesses as well as in auxiliary field; commercial and non-commercial organizations; adults (older than 18 years); who takes active part or assists in activity of the Association, adopts the terms and conditions of the Association Statue and other legal normative acts, regularly pays membership fee; Founders of the Association; and generally, everyone who matches regulations and requirements applied to Association Membership may be Member of the Association. 
4. The rights and duties of Members are determined by the Association Statue.
5. The rights of membership may not be handed over to the third parties.
6. Acceptance of a new member is carrying out by submitting a written Application for the Membership to name of Chairman of the Executive Board. The Application form should contain the following:

• Full legal name of Applicant (in case of physical person: name, surname, patronymic, date and place of birth, serial and number of Citizenship ID, who and when it was given, registered address);
• Legal and actual addresses of Applicant;
• TAX İD
• Name, surname and patronymic of the head of applicant company;
• Phone number, fax number, e-mail address and URL of applicant company;
• Phone number, fax number and e-mail address of the head of applicant company;
• Phone number, fax number and e-mail address of applicant company’s financial department (accountant);
• Applicant company’s bank requisites;
• Specification of applicant company;
• The sphere of activity;
• Number of the staff;
• Room numbers and the classified stars (if applicant is hotel);
• The number of the seats and classified rank (if applicant is restaurant, cafe, bar or other public catering facility);
• Cuisine type (if applicant is restaurant, café, bar or other public catering facility);
• Information about goods and services offered by the company (if applicant is supplier of goods and services);
• Description of why Applicant would like to become a Member of the Association and what he/she/it done and will do for improving eco-culture and ecotourism.

Application shall be accompanied by copy of “Certificate of the State Registration” and “Classification Certificate” (if applicant is hotel). 

1. Under the submitted Application Chairman of the Executive Board prepares a reference and submits it to be discussed in the soonest Meeting of the Executive Board.
2. Applicant’s representative is not obliged to take part in Meeting of the Executive Board. In case of necessity candidate will be informed within 5 days due to participation in the Meeting.
3. The decision about acceptance to Membership is approved by simple majority of votes of Members of The Executive Board. 
4. The Executive Director of the Association informs Applicant within 5 days about acceptance to Membership of the Association. 
5. Member pays prescribed membership fees and grants by the “Association Membership Certificate”, receives all rights and duties are described by the Statue of the Association and internal normative documents approved by The Executive Board.
6. “Association Membership Certificate” is signed by the Chairman of the Executive Board and submitted to Member within 30 days.
7. Accepted Member is registered in the Association Members List and the Association officially informs about that in the public.
8. Applicant who is denied or is postponed is to provide with a reasonable explanation within 10 days.
9. Applicant who is rejected by the Chairman of the Executive Board may appeal against this decision to the Association General Assembly.
10. The decision adopted by the Association General Assembly is considered as final.
11. Applicant who is denied may apply for the second time. The Application shall include detailed information about elimination of the requirements and the claims set forth by the Association.
12. Applicant shall take part in the Meeting of the Executive Board where the reapplication for the Membership will be reconsidered.

Association Member’s Privileges

1. Placement of information, innovations, actions, events and related offers of Members on official website, pages in social networks and groups of Azerbaijan Ecotourism Association;
2. Placement of Member’s trade mark (logo) on all events held by the Association free of charge;
3. Placement of Association’s Member Logo on Member’s website, advertising and promotion;
4. 50% discount for advertising materials in “Baku Guide since 1996©” (Baku City Tourist Guide, annually printing);
5. Access right into the list of companies offering 5-25% discounts for goods and services, chance to gain discounts applied for Members;
6. 50% discount for trainings and other educational, qualification programs, proposed by ATHEC (Azerbaijan Tourism and Hospitality Education Centre);
7. Provision of free consultations by professional lawyers and tax advisors of the Association; 
8. Access to data base of monitorings, market researches and statistical documents of the Association experts;
9. Display of presentation and advertisement materials on exhibition stands of The Association; Chance to be part of collective stands and to share expenses;
10. Free or discounted participation in round tables, exchange of experience meetings, trainings and improving of professional qualification programs, seminars, master classes, presentations and other events held by the Association. The Members will be constantly informed by The Association about these events;
11. Providing HS&E (Health, Safety and Environment) consultation services;
12. Assistance in preparation and obtaining of İSO 22000 (Food Safety Standards), ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management Systems). Specialized expertize by experienced companies and certified experts. 10-15% discount on these services;
13. 20-30% discount for consulting services offered by the Expert Group of the Association on establishment of hotels, restaurants, tourism companies and other enterprises (organizations) engaged in tourism and hospitality industry. Advising on conformity with the classification system, selection of equipment and supplies, property management systems, establishment of internal management structure, selection of the staff, design and other consulting services; conduction of complex expertise of agencies, hotels and restaurants aimed on improvement of financial indexes (Anti-Crisis Program);
14. 20-40% discounted packages for Members to different resorts, pensions, spa, health centres and etc.;
15. Participation in infotours organized by the Association;
16. Participation in various nominations and competitions conducted by the Association;
17. Receiving Awards for their active work, scientific and practical achievements; collective application to the authorities on behalf of the Association for awarding with state prizes and honourable names;
18. Providing “Mystery Guest” and Quality Assessment Package with 50% discount;
19. Opportunity of establishment of corporate and personal relations with other Members and partner companies through active participation in programs and projects of the Association;
20. Assistance in organization of advertisement, public relations and promotion of goods and services in different markets;
21. Recruitment service and staff assessment with 50% discount provided by AHRA Azerbaijan Hospitality Recruitment Agency;
22. Opportunity of participation in trainings aimed to improving knowledge in ecotourism, environmental management, waste management, food safety and other programs for capacity building;
23. Assistance in the development new and improving existing ecotourism itineraries, routes and trails. Creation of new ecotourism products and services;
24. Assistance in understanding and obtaining standards of “Green Key”, “Blue Flag” and other environmental programs.