Azerbaijan expands tourism: New opportunities on horizon

Azerbaijan continues to take measures for thriving tourism. As is known, to promote tourism, Azerbaijan sponsored Atletico Madird jerseys describing "Azerbaijan: Land of Fire." In 2018, a new tourism brand and the slogan "Take Another Look" were introduced.

Baku introduces e-visas, which facilitate obtaining a visa. Further to this, Azerbaijan began tourism-development planning for 2002–2005 and 2010–2014.

At the end of 2023, Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (Parliament) adopted new legislation that freed tourism complexes located in the regions (except the Absheron Peninsula) from property taxes. Many experts in the tourism sector welcomed the decision of the Milli Majlis and noted that it would enable the sector in regions to develop further.

Recently, in an interview with the local media outlet, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Russian Federation Poland Bulbuloglu pointed out that the National State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan is planning to restore its activity in Russia and to open a tourism office in Moscow. It is worth noting that Russia is considered a big market for touristic countries. Regions and countries are competing for Russian tourists. For example, Russian tourists rank first in Turkiye and Georgia. Unlike both these countries, Azerbaijan has taken measures to attract tourists from Arab countries so far. Frankly speaking, Russian citizens rank in first place among the foreigners visiting Azerbaijan. However, most of them are Azerbaijani-born Russian citizens who have homes in Azerbaijan, and they do not visit as tourists.

Speaking to Azernews on the issue, an expert in tourism, Rahman Quliyev, said that today it is necessary to open tourism offices abroad, especially those suitable for the market. That is why the opening of the tourism office in the Russian Federation by the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan is significant. He draws attention to the fact that the Russian market is important for Azerbaijan and that both nations are close to each other. Besides, there are no strong language barriers either. Also, considering the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia, the importance of this market for Azerbaijan increases even more.

“I believe that in the near future, the opening of new hotels in Azerbaijan and the construction of large hotel complexes in the Garabagh region, as well as the construction of thermal sanatoriums in Garabagh and Kalbajarda Lachin, for the use of both local tourists and foreign tourists, will certainly regularize the flow of tourists to Azerbaijan, and I think that We will bring the number of tourists to the peak,” Rehman Quliyev said.

The expert underscored that if we individually treat the tourists coming from Russia and also from all over the world to Azerbaijan, if we provide individual service, it is certainly in our favor. He recalled that 34 personnel serve every tourist visiting the country, and underlined that thriving tourism will create conditions for reducing unemployment in the country and increasing activity in the labor market. He also pointed out that the increase in the number of tourists coming to the country also allows the increase of foreign currency entering the country.