According to the information of the State Statistics Committee, 1 million 143.6 thousand tourists visited the country in January-July of this year. This is 37.4 percent more than the corresponding period of last year. However, tourist density is mainly observed in the capital. The number of tourists visiting the regions is not encouraging. In the summer, the number of tourists who came to our country was at the highest level. There are only a few days left until the end of the summer season. So, how did summer tourism affect our country?
Tourism expert Jeyhun Ashurov Publika.azsaid in his statement that there is an increase in the number of foreigners coming to our country compared to last year:
“It is true, in return, the number of tourists from the Gulf countries has decreased. However, there is an increase in the number of foreigners from Eastern European countries. In general, it should be noted that people spend their vacations mainly in the summer season. In our country, the number of tourists reaches its maximum in the summer months. In general, tourism in Azerbaijan is more active in summer. Those who come to our country mostly spend their vacations in the capital. In fact, the number of tourists going to the regions this year was not small.”
The expert pointed out that there are many reasons why tourists spend their holidays in the capital city:
“Sometimes we forget the main reason and focus on others. As we know, land borders are closed in our country. Therefore, foreign citizens come to our country only by air. 95, even 98 percent of tourists come to our country only through the International Airport in Baku. But we have 8 international airports.
Places with airports are one of the main places for the development of tourism. But all tourists come to Baku. Even when leaving our country, no matter where he is, he comes to Baku and goes to his country from here. That is, it means that the arriving tourists spend a few days in the capital when they arrive and when they leave. This also affects the statistics. The indicators also affect the presence of foreigners in Baku and the surrounding areas. If the airports in the regions work efficiently and dynamically, we will feel the vitality there. It is necessary to create conditions for tourists so that foreigners who come to Baku can go to their countries from Lankaran, Ganja and other cities. In this case, the tourist coming to our country will visit both the city and the regions. Our other airports should work more actively and serve people.”
Economist Fuad Ibrahimovaccording to him, the development of the tourism sector at a fairly dynamic level before the pandemic also affected our economy:
“Tourism is one of the most seriously damaged areas in the pandemic. We are currently trying to revive the post-pandemic period. But we forget one thing that we are still reaching the pre-pandemic period. But we had to go further because we have the potential for it. Today, the number of tourists in our country is gradually increasing. In the regions, this number is not as much as we would like. Today, a trip to any region takes a day. Also, visiting tourists are not good guides to the road. We have to take all this into account. If we look at Western countries, we will see how many cities it is possible to travel in one day. This is due to the fact that they have logistical development. In other words, train and cheap plane trips are organized along with cars and buses to other cities.
The economist emphasized that tourists want comfort and tranquility in the country they visit:
“It is not convenient for foreigners to visit some district of a region during the day. Tourists’ visits to the regions are not well provided. For the comfort of tourists, this sector should create new opportunities and develop. The solidarity of neighboring countries promotes the development of tourism. When tourists go to a country, it happens that they think of visiting another country located on the border with that country and search on the Internet. Of course, the funds to be spent at this time are the main issue. Are his opportunities sufficient for him to go from our country to another country?
If there is an opportunity to visit several countries cheaply and comfortably, he goes to that country. In this case, tourism is developing in 2-3 countries at the same time. This is one of the new and highly developed branches of tourism. Every tourist spends a certain amount when he comes to our country. Currently, the tourism sector has no influence on the country’s budget. But if he works on himself, it can be very beneficial to the budget. We must not forget that tourism is an important sector, it must be developed.”
Aysel Shahmar
The article was prepared with the financial support of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MEDIA) in the direction of “Encouraging the socio-economic development of regions”.
