BAKU, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) — Dubbed “Land of Fire,” Azerbaijan, with its other 10 million inhabitants on the Caspian Sea and bordered by Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran, hopes to welcome foreign tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic.
A former Soviet republic and home to an annual Formula 1 race, Azerbaijan is a melting pot of Turkish, Russian, Persian and European cultures and a country full of contrasts.
It’s a link between ancient empires and an oil-rich fashionable nation, framed by futuristic skyscrapers and stunning architecture, alongside several UNESCO World Heritage sites and imperishable villages in the Caucasus Mountains.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the Caucasus country’s nascent tourism industry.
“2019 has been an incredible year. We had 3. 2 million arrivals of foreign visitors. After March 2020, tourism came to virtual stagnation due to COVID. Now, in 2022, we see a recovery of around 50%,” said Florian Sengstschmid, executive director of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board. Xinhua told Xinhua in an interview.
According to the Azerbaijan State Tourism Agency, tourist arrivals in 2020 fell by 75% to 795,000. From January to July this year, Azerbaijan received 832,000 visitors, the firm reported.
Traditionally, Turkish tourists have accounted for the largest percentage of incoming travelers, followed by Russians, Iranians, Georgians and Ukrainians.
“90% of my customers come from Europe, especially Great Britain, Poland and Germany. There are also many travelers from India and Pakistan, and 5 percent from the Middle East,” Zaur Agayarli, an excursion guide, told Xinhua.
“Tourism activity is still starting to recover, but it has not yet reached the same point as before the pandemic,” he told the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, located 60 km from Baku and noted for its more than 6,000 petroglyphs. It dates back about 40,000 years and attests to a civilization that once lived on the Caspian Sea.
EASY ENTRY
Before the pandemic, Azerbaijan had easy visa requirements. It now grants e-visas and visas on arrival to travelers from most countries.
In Baku’s capital and booming tourist destination, Valid Pashazadah, deputy manager of the Sultan Inn Boutique Hotel in the Old City, told Xinhua, “We started our business 20 years ago, but it stopped COVID-19. “
“We came back after COVID-19, and we have a lot of visitors from all over the world, from the United States, Germany and Russia. Our rooms have been full for 3 months,” he said.
“Tourists don’t just come to Baku. They come here to see Gabala, Quba, Lankaran and many other sights, such as Gobustan and dust volcanoes. There are so many attractive places,” Pashazadah added.
Billed as the “dust volcano capital of the world,” Azerbaijan is home to a staggering collection of some 350 bubbling dust volcanoes, many of which are located in the Gobustan region, an hour and a half drive from Baku.
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
In July, the International Monetary Fund warned that while the economy had temporarily recovered from the pandemic, inflation and conflict in Ukraine were creating new challenges.
“While Azerbaijan has the highest oil and fuel prices, the war poses new dangers similar to emerging food prices, food security and the consequences of sanctions, and introduces significant uncertainty into the outlook,” the IMF said.
The global lender said that while expansion accelerated in 2021 and early 2022 due to high oil costs and strong customer demand, genuine gross domestic product grew 5. 6% in 2021.
Sengstschmid of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board said tourism contributed 4. 5% to Azerbaijan’s GDP in 2019.
“This year, tourism will contribute around 2. 5% of GDP,” said Sengstschmid, “but I am very positive and convinced that until 2023 and 2024 we will see a global recovery and tourism will succeed at the same point as before the pandemic. or give an even more contribution. “