TODAY.AZ / Business

New wave of Arab tourists expected

30 August 2016 [17:13] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews


By Amina Nazarli

Baku, also known as the City of Winds, has observed a large influx of tourists from Arab countries this summer.

Baku streets, restaurants and hotels are full of crowds of Arab citizens, who are delighted with the wonderful weather, the food and the beauty of the country. Not only the capital city of Azerbaijan, but also its regions saw a record number of Gulf tourists this year.

One of the main reasons for the rising number of Arab tourists is the introduction of a simplified visa regime from this year for citizens of Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries.

Overall, in the first half of 2016, Azerbaijan was visited by 25,000 tourists from Arab countries, while the figure approximately 22,000 people or eight times more than in the same period of last year.

Interestingly, Iraq demonstrates the highest rate for this indicator among Arab countries. In the first six months of this year the country was visited by 11,000 Iraqi tourists, which is 30 times more than in January-June of 2015.

Experts say that there are different reasons attracting Arab tourists in Azerbaijan including beautiful nature, halal foods in restaurants, direct flights as well as short distance between the countries.

In addition to the abolition of visas, Muzaffar Agakarimov, the adviser of the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Tourism Association sees the cause of massive growth of Arab tourists in the country's security and safety, as well as in multicultural values of Azerbaijan.

Arab tourists, according to Agakarimov, visit the country’s attractions such as Icherisheher, Gobustan and Ateshgah. However, the most popular places among them are the north-eastern and north-western regions of the country like Guba, Gusar, Khachmaz, Sheki, Ismayilli, Agsu and Gabala, he said adding that Arab tourists also frequently visit beaches.

 “Azerbaijan has factors bringing together Europe and Asia, what attract tourists. Tourists mostly prefer to get acquainted themselves with the country’s sightseeing. They like Baku Boulevard. Many of them love Azerbaijani nature, cuisine and historical monuments. Stability is another factor attracting tourists to Azerbaijan,” he said.

Agakarimov noted that Arab tourists arriving to Azerbaijan stay here for about a week. “Arab tourists actively use city tours,” he said. “Some of them stay in 5-star hotels and some in 2-3-stay hotels. Tourists from UAE and Kuwait mostly stay in 5-star hotels.”

Agakerimov also emphasized that Arab tourists are going to visit Azerbaijan in winter season as well.

“According to our analysis, Arab tourists will visit Azerbaijan not only in summer, but also in winter, since our country has good conditions for winter tourism,” he said.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/business/153792.html

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