Russians choose Azerbaijan as new popular destination

/By Azernews/

By Amina Nazarli

Russian tour operators have observed a significant increase in booking of tours to Transcaucasia, while the resorts of Turkey and Egypt stand to see less Russian tourists this year.

Azerbaijan was visited by about 50,000 Russian tourists in 2015, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

“Tourists usually go to see Baku and relax on the coast, as well as for the medical treatment with mud. Besides tourists interested in local cuisine,” ATOR’s Vice-President Alexander Kurnosov said.

One of the main advantages of Azerbaijan, besides the captivating beauty of the country and hospitable population, is the fact that many people here know Russian and English.

Also, the prices in the tourism facilities of the country have not risen and after the double devaluation of the national currency, the prices are more affordable.

Director of Rayda tourism agency Fuad Heydar believes that after the recent tensions between Russia and Turkey, Russian tourists will prefer Azerbaijan. He said that the development of Baku, as well as construction and improvement of certain tourism infrastructures and hotels in the country’s regions also contribute to the tourist flow.

“The statistics show that in previous years the number of tourists in Azerbaijan varied between 1-2 million, who mainly accumulated in the capital. However, now we see that tourists show interest in the country’s region,” he told AzerTac state news agency.

He reminded that the Shahdag Winter and Summer Tourism Complex, entered the top ten ski resorts of the CIS countries, is the favorite winter destination of many foreign tourists, while in summer travelers prefer to rest in Gabala, Gakh, Ilisu and Naftalan, known for its therapeutic oil.

Recently, popular Russian tourist service Travel.ru placed Baku’s blue Caspian Sea among Top 5 most popular tourist resort destinations in the CIS countries.

However, ATOR claims that it’s early to say that Caucasus can fully replace resorts in Turkey or Egypt for Russian tourists. Specialists explain this by the lack of "all inclusive" system in the Caucasus resorts.