Azerbaijan becomes center of international tourism
By Amina Nazarli
Azerbaijan becomes more and more popular among foreigners as unforgettable tourism destination.
Baku, where past and modernity and East and West have intertwined cannot leave indifferent any traveler. The country with rich ancient history has thousands of places to visit, ranging from the capital to the unique villages lost in the clouds. Warm Caspian Sea, sandy beaches and delicious Caucasian cuisine attract tourists to Azerbaijani resorts day by day.
The number of tourists to the Land of Fire has increased by 30 times this May compared to last year, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry. The majority of these foreigners are tourists from Russia, Iran, Arab, CIS and European countries .
The ministry reports that the number of tourists has risen and this tendency has been experienced during the first six months of the year.
In January to June of 2016 a total of 972,000 tourists came to the country, with a large proportion falling to citizens from Russia, Iran, Turkey and Arab countries.
This year Azerbaijan experienced exceeded number of Arab tourists. Baku streets, restaurants and hotels are full of crowds of Arab citizens, who are delighted with the wonderful weather, the food and the beauty of the country.
Parviz Musayev, Director of Falcon Travel company, said there are different reasons attracting Arab tourists including beautiful nature, what is more important halal foods in restaurants, simplification of visa regime in airport, exciting direct flights as well as short distance between the countries.
“The reason that Arab countries experience hottest weather in summer also plays a big role. Moreover, the recent events in Turkey also promoted increase in the number of Arab tourists visiting Azerbaijan,” he told Azertac state news agency.
Musayev emphasized that the majority of tourists are from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Iraq. While tourists from Iraq choose cheap hotels mostly, citizens of Gulf countries prefer 5-star hotels in Baku and the country’s regions, he added.
Musayev believes that mutual visits between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia heads in last years gave an impetus to the development of relations between the two countries.
Azerbaijani Consul General in Dubai Parviz Ismayilzade told Trend that the national consulate operating in Dubai serves as a toll strengthening cooperation between the countries.
Starting November 2015, after the introduction of simplified visa regime for UAE, the flow of the tourists from this country accelerated. Now they do not need to apply for getting visa from the Consulate, instead tourists have a chance to obtain a visa in the national airports of Azerbaijan, Ismayilzade said.
The consul believes that major events such as Eurovision, Baku 2015 European Games and Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe held in Azerbaijan contributed to the promotion of the country in the global level.
“During 2015, the number of people coming from Gulf countries increased by 16.1 percent. Moreover, the number of UAE tourists arriving in Azerbaijan during the first four months of 2016 reached 6,624,” he said.
Ismayilzade added that the number of visas issued by the consulate to non-UAE citizens including Comoros, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, India, Pakistan and Jordan also went up by 40 percent.
According to statistics, family tourism is dominated among tourists from UAE. “Naturally, while traveling with family, security is the major point of attention. Azerbaijan is an ideal option in this regard,” he said.
Arabian nations, who have unique traditions of hunting are particularly interested in this kind of tourism. They are looking at Azerbaijan as an attractive destination for this relatively new pleasure, which has already become one of the loved entertainments for many Arabs.
Travel experts believe that the visits of Arab sheikhs to the country create an opportunity for developing hunting tourism in the country, along with creating seasonal jobs for locals. The locals set up tents, deliver food, and cook for the guests.
“Since desert climate prevails in UAE, the tourists coming from this country tour Azerbaijani regions alongside the capital city,” the consul noted.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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