Over 20K Indian tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2018; calls for direct connectivity

Azerbaijan is aiming to double tourist footfall from India in 2019, to 80,000 following the expected direct connectivity between New Delhi and Baku mid- this year and various activities promoting the country as a preferred destination. In 2018, about 40,000 Indians visited Azerbaijan, which is situated at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia having nine of the world's 11 climate zones.

"We have established a marketing office in India and have chalked out various marketing campaigns to promote Azerbaijan as a preferred destination for India travellers. We are going to promote through participation in trade shows, road shows, both online and offline campaigns and digital medium which has a wider reach," Azerbaijan Tourism Board CEO Florian Sengstschmid told PTI here.

In the first of this year, he said, there is likely to have direct flights connecting India and Azerbaijan, which will further boost tourism. "There is a discussion, which is in an advanced stage and we are expecting direct flights connecting New Delhi and Baku most probably in the first half of 2019. This will accelerate the tourist footfalls from India," he added.

Moreover, he said, Indian passport holders are eligible for e-Visa to Azerbaijan, which is processed online within three hours through the new simplified electronic visa procedure. He said, currently, three-fourths of the inbound tourists to Azerbaijan hail from Russia, Georgia, Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, neighbouring countries in the region.

Going forward, the Caucasus country will also focus on increasing the number of tourists from a broader pool of countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, China, as well as Central and Southeast Asia. He said Azerbaijan offers culture with a history dating back to 5000 years, along with a vibrant gastronomical experience, spectacular landscapes including summer countryside and winter ski slopes, adventure trails and cultural events.

In India Azerbaijan, positioned as an affordable luxury destination, is mainly focusing on family, single women groups, wedding and meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) segments, Sengstschmid said. The Azerbaijan Tourism Board will initially tap the big and metro cities and gradually penetrate to smaller cities, he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)