According to the official report, in the first quarter of 2026, the number of foreigners coming to Azerbaijan decreased by 4.7 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, while the number of Azerbaijani citizens traveling abroad decreased by 3.5 percent. What is the decline related to?
Medianews.az asked, Member of the National Assembly, economist Vuqar Bayramov responded that the decrease in tourists coming to Azerbaijan was expected: “The geopolitical tension in the region directly affects the number of tourists. Azerbaijan is neighboring Iran and naturally the war in that country has reduced the number of tourists coming to our country. This also applies to tourists coming from Iran itself to Azerbaijan. The Iranian war has negatively affected tourism not only in Azerbaijan but in all countries located in the region.
There was already a decrease in the number of tourists from several countries even before the war, especially from India. Tourism is the sector that brings the most revenue to Azerbaijan after oil. Therefore, it is important for the number of tourists coming to the country to be optimal and to increase. If the Iranian war continues, it can negatively impact the number of tourists in upcoming periods as well.”
Tourism expert Jafar Garayev emphasized in his statement to Medianews.az that he approaches the official statistics with some caution: “A 4.7 percent decline in the number of foreigners coming to Azerbaijan seems small to me. I think the figure should be higher. The majority of tourists came to the country from India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Part of February and March overlapped with the month of Ramadan. Also, there was a military conflict in the region—the war with Iran. Although a ceasefire was reached, tensions have not eased yet. Because of the war, almost no tourists came to Azerbaijan from the Middle East. Many countries in the region closed their airspace and numerous flights were canceled. Besides that, India’s aviation company 'IndiGo' suspended flights to Azerbaijan due to its internal matters.
This situation causes significant damage. The condition of tourism companies working with Arab countries is severe. Since around February 18, tourists from Arab countries have not been arriving. Flights have stopped due to the war and have not been restored yet. The airports of Kuwait and Bahrain are closed. Airport operations in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have partially resumed. Unfortunately, the 'AirArabia' company, which conducts flights from the UAE to Azerbaijan, has not resumed flights. According to the latest information, 'AirArabia' has suspended flights to Azerbaijan until May 30. Similarly, Azerbaijan Airlines’ decision to suspend flights to Dubai, UAE, is effective until, if I am not mistaken, the end of April. Flights to Doha, the capital of Qatar, and to Kuwait have also been canceled. We did not have air connections with Oman anyway. Flights to two cities of Saudi Arabia—Riyadh and Dammam—have also stopped.”
Jafar Garayev pointed out that this situation has a very serious impact on both outgoing and incoming tourism: “Foreign currency flowed into our country through tourists coming to Azerbaijan. Tourists brought cash. They spent money in various sectors—food, shopping, sightseeing, hotels, museums, etc. Currently, all of this is halted. From this perspective, the situation is particularly severe in inbound tourism.
I should note that tourists also came to Azerbaijan from Israel, and their number was increasing annually. Currently, connections with Israel are also cut off. Since Iran’s airspace is closed, airplanes come to Azerbaijan by making a long detour. This increases fuel consumption and makes plane tickets more expensive.”
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az