Azerbaijani hotels hosted 22 percent more tourists in 2012

By AzerNews

The number of people who stayed at hotels in Azerbaijan rose by 22.5 percent in 2012 in comparison with 2011 to reach 624,900, the State Statistics Committee reported on Monday.

According to the Committee, 59.5 percent of them were foreign nationals -- 44.2 percent more than in the previous year.

Some 48,600 tourists visited Azerbaijan under holiday travel packages.

In comparison with last year, the number of people booking overnight accommodations also increased and reached 1,640,900. 48.9 percent of the tenants were foreign tourists.

57.3 percent of the total number of the overnight stays were registered in the capital Baku.

514 hotels rendered their services in the country in 2012. 5.3 percent of them are state-run, while 94.7 percent are private entities.

Most of the people who stayed in hotels - 83.4 percent - were tourists. 43.3 percent came to Azerbaijan for leisure, while 47.5 pct arrived on business visas.

33.4 percent of Azerbaijani tourists who traveled abroad in 2012 were Baku residents.

Income of the hotels increased by 34.4 percent in comparison with 2011 and reached 154 million manats ($197 million).

Azerbaijan, which links the Western and Eastern civilizations and cultures, with its beautiful nature, ancient history, and delicious cookery could turn into a favored destination for tourists in the near future.

Earlier, Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev said that Azerbaijan expects an increase of 70 to 80 percent in the tourist flow in the next five to six years.

According to Garayev, some 2.5 million foreign tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2012, and the indicator will grow further in the future.

Garayev stressed that the e-visa issuing procedure which has been applied in Azerbaijan since March 2013 will also increase the tourism inflow.

He also said Azerbaijan intends to solve the problem of the lack of three-star hotels in the capital ahead of the first European Olympic Games in 2015.