Baku, Azerbaijan, June 29
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
The influx of tourists to Azerbaijan in the summer season of 2018 will increase compared to the same period last year, Nahid Bagirov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association told Trend June 28.
He noted that, the main flow of tourists to the country is expected from Arab countries.
"As of today, a large number of hotel rooms have already been booked in the country, especially in the regions. Hotels in such resort regions, as Gabala, Sheki and Guba, are completely filled. As in last year, the tourists mostly arrive from Arab countries. In general, it is expected that the number of tourists from Arab countries will exceed the number of visitors from other destinations. But it is worth noting that Azerbaijan is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for tourists from Europe, Asia and America every year, and their number is also growing. This year we expect a significant growth of tourists from Saudi Arabia. The reason for this is the opening of several direct flights between our countries," Bagirov said.
Touching upon the main directions of the Azerbaijani tourists' departure this season, Bagirov noted that, they will be Turkey, Georgia and Montenegro.
"Turkey, in particular Istanbul, Bodrum, Izmir and Antalya will be the main destinations for Azerbaijani tourists travelling by plane. They are followed by European countries, in particular Montenegro, which also has direct flights with us. As for the tourists travelling by land, the main flow of tourists, in my opinion, will go to Georgia this summer. This is primarily connected with the fact that hotels and recreation centers in Azerbaijan are almost full. And Georgia is the nearest country where it is possible to get by land transport," Bagirov said.
In the five months of this year, up to 1.06 million tourists arrived in Azerbaijan, which is 10.1 percent higher than in the same period last year.
