Year in Review: Azerbaijan's tourism recovery from pandemic

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan has embarked upon measures of recovery of the country's tourism sector after the pandemic, Azernews reports.

The State Tourism Agency is exploring the dimensions of tourism revival and carries out major work to ensure sustainable tourism development.

According to the State Statistical Committee, a 2.1 times increase was observed in January-November, 2022 compared to the same months of last year.

Among the foreign citizens, who visited Azerbaijan this year, Russia, Turkiye, and Iran are in the first place. They are followed by Saudi Arabia, Georgia, India, Pakistan, UAE, Kazakhstan, and other countries.

Recovery indicators for Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and India are more than 90 percent. Countries like Belarus, Pakistan, and Jordan surpassed the results of 2019.

Azerbaijan Tourism Summit 2022 was another turning point in the country's tourism sector.

Within the summit, members of the tourism industry, state, and private sector representatives discuss development trends in tourism.

The summit participants also set goals for the next four years. The State Tourism Agency has set up goals aimed at the improvement of Azerbaijan's tourism industry within the "2022-2026 Socio-Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan".

The agency aims to increase GDP production in the tourist accommodation and public catering sector by 1.5 times compared to 2019 and to achieve an average annual growth of 20 percent in the tourism sector.

At the same time, the State Tourism Agency seeks to improve internal tourism by increasing the number of domestic tourists to 6 million.

Major works have been carried out in liberated territories to revive tourism. In near future, Karabakh is expected to be a major tourism destination. Currently, both luxury and mid-level hotels are being built in Shusha and Aghdam.

Moreover, Azerbaijan and Turkiye set out to create a joint tourism route. The two countries are planning to cooperate in mountain-ski tourism, gastronomy tourism, and non-traditional tourism products.

In 2023, Azerbaijan will continue to work on initiatives aimed at tourism recovery.