Azerbaijan Sets New Record With Over 2M Inbound Tourists

Tourist influx into Azerbaijan set a new record as the government announced that over 2.4 million tourists from 191 countries visited the Caspian Sea coastal country during the first nine months of 2019.

The number of foreigners and stateless persons visiting Azerbaijan within the period was slightly more than 2.41 million or 9.5 percent more than in the same period in 2018, according to data compiled by the Azerbaijan’s State Statistics Committee.

Tourists from Russia accounted for the largest portion or 30 percent of the overall tourist influx. Travelers from Georgia came in at number two with 22 percent, while Turkish travelers shared 8.2 percent to claim the third largest portion. Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Israel and Kazakhstan followed the top three countries.

The number of tourists coming from the European Union increased by 24 percent compared to the same period of 2018, reaching 110,300 visitors.

The tourism industry has been on an upward trend in Azerbaijan over the last years thanks to the development of the hospitality infrastructure and facilitation of visa issuing for foreigners. E-visa and urgent e-visa options allow travelers getting their visa via online application form within three days or upon the arrival, in the country’s airports.

Azerbaijan Tourism Board and the State Tourism Agency have rebranded the international tourism logo of Azerbaijan in order to renew the national tourism strategy of the country under the “Take Another Look” slogan. The goals of the new strategy cover multiple activities and are expected to make Azerbaijan the most attractive and successful tourist destination in the Caucasus region. At the same time, the initiative is supposed to double tourism influx by 2023. The ultimate goal, however, is to turn Azerbaijan into one of the top tourist destinations worldwide for globetrotters.

The State Tourism Agency has been launching global offices across five continents to help put Azerbaijan on the global tourism map as a safe, friendly and welcoming country with a rich culture and unique historical heritage. Offices in Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, India, and Russia have already come online. The agency recently announced it would soon open four more offices in Great Britain, France, Iran, and South Korea.

As part of Azerbaijan.Travel concept led by the agency and supposed to present a range of experiences in Azerbaijan, a guest center was launched in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi earlier in October.