In November of this year, about 170,000 foreigners and stateless persons came to Azerbaijan, 25% more than in the same period last year, Nijat Abbasli, the head of the Research and Development Department of the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau under the State Tourism Agency, said at the Azerbaijan Tourism Summit 2023 dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, Report informs.
"In 11 months, the flow of tourists increased by 30% compared to a year ago. There is indeed a 35% decrease compared to the period before the pandemic. But the main reason for the decrease is the closure of the borders with Georgia and Russia. However, in 11 months, total tourist spending increased by 6% compared to 2021 and by 60% in comparison with 2022. That is, there is a revival in tourist spending," he said.
"Among the more than 1,890,000 tourists who came to the country in January-November, citizens of Russia, Türkiye, Iran, India, Georgia, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan prevailed. If we compare it with the period before the pandemic, we can see that the recovery process has not been fully completed. But with tourists from some countries (Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan), not only compared to the previous year but even compared to the period before the pandemic, the recovery process has been completed, and tourist arrivals from those countries have increased," the tourism official added.