Azerbaijan to welcome 4 mln tourists annually
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan is expected to welcome 3.5-4 million tourists annually in the coming years, Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev said.
In 2001, over 400.000 tourists arrived in Azerbaijan while today the figure stands at 2.5 million. The number of tourists who visited Azerbaijan in 2013 reached 2.4 million. They spent some $700-800 a week on accommodations, food, and cultural programs.
"Over the past 10-12 years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of tourists visiting Azerbaijan but we should not expect a 50 or 100 percent increase in the figure during the coming years as the country's hotels are not yet ready to receive five million tourists at once," he said.
Garayev rejected any report that few tourists come to Azerbaijan because of expensive services.
He also noted that controlling the prices is beyond the ministry's power and the prices are set based on market's mechanism.
"However, the ministry's efforts in the last three years have reduced the prices of services by 20 percent," Garayev said.
Azerbaijan has not enough three-star hotels, he said, noting that such hotels can be constructed only by free activities of investors.
"Today there is sufficient number of four and five star hotels in Azerbaijan. That is why investors should pay more attention to the three-star hotels, which in turn will create opportunities to serve a larger number of tourists," Garayev said.
There are currently 530 hotels, hotel-type facilities and some 241 travel agencies in the country. The price for a weeklong stay in the Azerbaijani regions stands at only 500 manats (over $630).
There are several four and five-star hotels in the regions. Spending one night in a double room in a four star hotel costs 60-70 manats, which together with the cost of food will make 300-400 manats ($380-500) for a week.
Double room in a five-star hotel costs approximately 130-150 manats ($160-190) per night. Thus, a week vacation in Azerbaijan will cost at least 500 manats.
Meanwhile Azerbaijani regions are still suffering from lack of chip three star hotels, which restrain the tourist flow. The least price would be 30 manats ($38), if Azerbaijani regions had three-star hotels.
If such hotels are made, the number of foreign tourists is expected to increase, as 70 percent of tourists in the world are middle class representatives.