Azerbaijani authorities report growth in tourism, but experts believe the opposite is the case.
Currently, the only way to travel to Azerbaijan is by plane. Land borders are closed based on regulations put in place during the COVID pandemic. Officials think this is helping tourism.
According to Azerbaijani officials, closed land borders have had a positive impact on the growth of domestic tourism in the country.
The reality is, that in 2022-2023, the vast majority of hotel beds in Azerbaijan were empty showing an occupancy rate of 16.6%.
The top five foreign tourists include guests from Russia (17.4%), India (8.8%), Turkey (8.6%), the United Arab Emirates (6.7%), and Saudi Arabia (6.5%).
