Iranian, Arab tourists "capture" all hotels in Baku
By Amina Nazarli
As, Novruz Bayram, the most anticipated and favorite holiday solemnly celebrated in Azerbaijan, is just around the corner, the country is preparing to welcome thousands of foreign tourists.
The colorful holiday accompanied by interesting traditions, customs and events have always been a sort of entertainment for many tourists from the neighboring countries.
Novruz is one of the most cherished holidays of many Azerbaijanis, when people are kind of uniting with nature ... since spring is coming and nature is awakening. Symbolizing the end of an old year and beginning of a new year, this holiday is the oldest festival of spring and included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Muzaffar Agakarimov, the adviser of the Chairman of Azerbaijani Tourism Association said that rooms in all hotels of Baku have been booked till the end of March.
He said that Iranian tourists are leading among those who come
to Azerbaijan in connection with Novruz.
“As in previous years we will observe Iranian tourists preferring
to visit Azerbaijan in Novruz holiday,” he said. “Those who travel
alone one year, next year bring relatives or friends. That’s why
number of tourists from Iran is increasing year by year,” he
said.
The number of Iranian citizens, who visited Azerbaijan during Novruz holiday in 2016 increased by 35-40 percent, compared to 2015. Alongside capital city Baku, Iranian tourists also took part in tours to tourist routes such as Lankarana, Lerik, Masalli, Gabala and Sheki.
Agakarimov further mentioned that Azerbaijan also sees rising
number of tourists from Russia and Arab countries.
“However, the number of tourists from Iraq is expected to decrease.
It’s because, earlier, Iraqi tourists could obtain visa at the
airport, but now this process has been changed. That’s why the
decline in the number of tourists is possible,” he clarified.
The expert also did not rule out that tourists will visit the country's regions, alongside Baku. After coming to Baku, many tourists also wish to see regions of the country, he added.
“Certain tourism companies help tourists with placement. There are also companies which work directly with Arab tourists,” he added.
Agakarimov once again noted the necessity of construction
2-3-star hotels for comfortable accommodation of tourists.
“Otherwise, tourists have to settle in private houses. This, in
turn, can create difficulties both with security of tourists and
tax issues,” he said.
In 2016, the number of tourists visiting the Land of Fire amounted to 2,242 million people and this is 11.7 percent more than in 2015. The majority of tourists came from Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Iran making up 33 percent, 22.5 percent, 13.9 percent and 10.9 percent, accordingly.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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