You’ve worked in tourism for almost three decades and joined the Azerbaijan Tourism Board as CEO in 2018. What was your initial vision when you joined the company?
Yes, I have been a part of this industry for almost 30 years now. During all these years, I have worked with different tourism boards across the world, faced some quite interesting challenges no matter how advanced the destination was, and here I am at Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB) with all the lessons learned. When establishing the ATB, we envisioned all the activities in a way to contribute to all the stakeholders of the whole tourism value chain, be it our partners and travellers in our source markets or local industry partners. It was also very exciting and challenging to develop tourism in a country that was not so well-known in this field. Blessed with unique tangible and intangible assets, our focus from the very beginning has been to build on these elements and make them the key pillars of sustainable tourism development in the country.
The tourist industry really bore the brunt of the pandemic, so what has tourism looked like for Azerbaijan since Covid and how are you rebuilding it?
In 2019, we reached all-time record numbers with 3.2 million arrivals. The first two months of 2020 were also promising. With the international borders closed and a full lockdown announced in March, we developed a four-phase strategy to make sure we have action plans in place to move forward rather than standing in one place and waiting for the whole thing to end.
The very first stage of this strategy was characterised by offering support for local industry partners as well as maintaining health and safety measures across the key tourism stakeholders. We launched the SAHMAN programme (Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms), which prompted local industry players across the supply chain to improve hygiene and sanitation among accommodation, F&B and touristic transportation providers. The second phase began when the lockdown was lifted, and domestic travel was allowed. We prepared for this stage with a domestic tourism campaign, “Macəra Yaxındadır” (Adventure is Near), which allowed us to make all the offerings and special campaigns accessible for locals on one platform. The third phase was when regional travel was finally allowed and restrictions on international travel were gradually lifted. Currently, I would say, we are finally transitioning from the third phase to the fourth, where we expect to reach a full recovery. According to the positive tendencies observed now, including current arrival figures, we forecast to be back to pre-pandemic figures by 2024.
To sum up, I can say that tourism development in Azerbaijan did not stop, be it in terms of infrastructure upgrades or projects directly related to the industry. We have worked extensively to develop more diversified and high-quality tourism experiences for our target audiences in this period as well, with the expectation of coming out of the crisis even stronger than before.
Covid-19 caused myriad shifts in the industry. In terms of your inbound market, have you noticed any new patterns emerge post-pandemic?
The major shift is that travellers now arrange their bookings on much shorter notice. This is mainly due to constantly changing travel rules during the pandemic, and it is not only about the destination’s rules, but also about the regulations for going back home, which can be quite complicated sometimes. As for Azerbaijan, rules to enter the country have been quite stable since the gradual opening of international borders and as of April 15, passengers aged over 18 can travel to Azerbaijan by providing only a COVID passport on complete vaccination or recovery from COVID-19. We are also seeing increased demand for nature and outdoor activities, as well as experiences that are available away from crowded places. This change in traveller behaviour has a positive impact for us, as Azerbaijan is a perfect destination for this kind of travel, being home to nine out of 11 climate zones with breathtaking mountains, lush forests, lakes and waterfalls.
And what can you share about your inbound traveller demographic?
At the moment, one of the main focus points are the GCC countries, namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, from which we are seeing the fastest recovery in arrivals. For example, arrivals from Saudi Arabia during the first quarter of 2022 increased by 20 per cent compared to the same period of 2019, which was the best year for us in terms of number of arrivals. India is also among the important markets for the inbound tourism of Azerbaijan and was one of the countries we received the most travellers from in 2019. The international borders of Azerbaijan and India recently reopened, and we expect to see an increased number of travellers from here soon as well. We are also planning to restart our activities for Europe in the third quarter of 2022, as the first step in attracting more European travellers starting from 2023.
For someone yet to visit Azerbaijan, how would you describe the country?
It’s a relatively small country, yet with myriad experiences thanks to its perfect location where Eastern and Western colours combine, and diverse cultures and religions that have coexisted for centuries, while unique landscapes from the Caucasus Mountains reach more than 4,000m in the north to tea, rice and citrus plantations in the subtropical south are within a distance of only about five hours. It’s also a country with a distinguished diversity. There are dozens of ethnicities with their own language and traditions, as many people passed through Azerbaijan at some point in the past thanks to its location on the ancient Silk Road, and their legacy has been preserved to this day.
All these different people contributed to many unique elements visible in the country. For example, you can learn about both the legacy of ancient fire worshippers at a fire temple as well as the Polish heritage preserved in 19th-century architectural landmarks and house museums in only one day. You can also find hubs of German culture in some regions, along with others. Sheki is another important, must-visit city along the historic Silk Road route, where the historic centre together with Sheki Khan’s Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Travelling even further back in history, the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, located about an hour’s drive away from Baku, is home to petroglyphs depicting life as long as 40,000 years ago.
All these are bolstered with natural resources as well. As I mentioned earlier, Azerbaijan is blessed with beautiful landscapes, which also strengthen the country’s position as an attractive destination especially in the post-pandemic period. So, overall, Azerbaijan’s USP lies in the fact that all these diverse traditions combined with physical assets and natural beauties come together to offer many different combinations of experiences with something to suit all traveller preferences, be it for families, solo travellers, adventure-seekers or history lovers.
Azerbaijan is a key destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Tell us about the new hiking routes that have been added to the Transcaucasian Trails...
There are three mountain ranges on the territory of Azerbaijan – the Greater Caucasus, the Lesser Caucasus, and the Talish Mountains, which are yet to be fully explored. This means you can find untouched nature, uncultivated, virgin lands, and magnificent views. We have dozens of hiking trails that are equipped with information boards, signage, GPS coordinates and so on to make this experience safe and accessible at the same time. In addition to working on long-distance hiking trails, beginning in the north-eastern part of the country, and heading towards the north-west, we are also cooperating with the Transcaucasian Trails Association. There are currently two routes that have been added to the Transcaucasian Trails: one is the 97km Sheki-Zaqatala section, and the other is the 102km Guba-Gusar section. These trails allow hiking enthusiasts to not only enjoy the natural surroundings, but also explore the historic towns and ancient mountain villages they will be passing through.
The ‘Slow Food Travel’ trend is also picking up in popularity in Azerbaijan. Why do you think this is?
Some of the key USPs of Azerbaijan lie in the diverse ethnicities and cultures as well as the favourable climate, and the fact that this diversity brought about a unique mix of culinary traditions. This variety combined with the fact that Azerbaijan was considered the greenhouse of the USSR led us to the logical conclusion that we can use this asset to develop an immersive experience for travellers to get the true sense of the destination. With this purpose in mind, we have gladly embraced the Slow Food philosophy of good, clean and fair food for all, supporting the idea of providing maximum benefit to all the parties involved, and developed Slow Food Travel within an EU-funded project. This experience allows travellers not only to consume a specific product, but also participate in its production. Such unique food types include organic hazelnuts, honey, buffalo cheese, rosehip syrup, etc. This experience is now available in the north-western part of the country, and we are working on expanding it to the subtropical south as well.
Are you able to break down your in-bound tourism demographic for us a little, as well as outline any particular markets you’re targeting at present and why?
At the moment, one of the main focus points is the GCC countries, namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, from which we are seeing the fastest recovery in arrivals. For example, arrivals from Saudi Arabia during the first quarter of 2022 increased by 20 per cent compared to the same period of 2019, which was the best year for us in terms of number of arrivals. India is also among the important markets for the inbound tourism of Azerbaijan, and was one of the countries we received the most travellers from in 2019. The international borders of Azerbaijan and India recently reopened, and we expect to see an increased number of travellers from here soon as well. We are also planning to restart our activities for Europe in the third quarter of 2022, as the first step in attracting more European travellers starting from 2023.
The Grand Prix takes place in June, but what else is on Azerbaijan’s 2022 calendar?
Yes, that is true – the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held on June 10-12 this year, and spectators will be allowed to attend the race weekend for the first time since the pandemic started. Then we have the infinity swing at Tufandag Mountain Resort in Gabala and the mountain coaster at Shahdag Mountain Resort in Gusar. You can also see infrastructure upgrades such as the installation of signs and information boards at the Diri Baba Mausoleum in Gobustan on the way to Shamakhi, which is a beautiful historic mausoleum dating back to the 15th century. We are also expecting a few more openings soon. In summer, the renovated arts and crafts settlement of Basgal village, located on the ancient Silk Road, with hammams and mosques will open. The kitesurfing season will also restart in June. New hotels are also planned to open this year, such as the Ritz-Carlton Baku, Hotel Indigo and Wyndham Garden, which are scheduled to open in the second half of 2022. On a separate note, we also expect the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex to open by the end of the year.
We’ll be seeing you at ATM 2022, which is exciting. What does the show mean for the Azerbaijan Tourism Board this year?
Last year, we resumed our physical participation at trade exhibitions with ATM Dubai. We are very excited about this year’s event too, especially because this year we are coming back with our largest stand ever (230sqm) together with about 30 local partners. This means even more opportunities to connect with the increased number of our international counterparts. Thus, we are also planning to connect with our trade and media stakeholders on the exhibition floor and kick off collaboration with various airlines, OTAs, media partners and so on. With the increased arrivals from GCC countries, as well as perfect flight connections and easily accessible e-visas and visas on arrival, we look forward to more opportunities to keep these target countries at the top of our list.