Published on : Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Representatives from Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry, State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan along with envoys and diplomats attended the conference held at Parsian Azadi International Hotel.
Issues related to visa requirements, joint exhibitions, accommodation, air travel, tourism infrastructure amongst others were discussed at the event.
Addressing the audience, Tehran’s ambassador to Baku Javad Jahangirzadeh referred to the development of tourism relations between the two countries. He said, “During the past two years I have not heard any complaints from Iranian tourists during their visits to Azerbaijan and this shows the seriousness of this country in attracting Iranian tourists.”
Fuad Nagiyev, the chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Tourism Agency, reminded that Azerbaijan hosted more than 250,000 travelers during the past year, and named Iran as its biggest source of tourism.
“Measures are being taken to facilitate traveling of Iranian tourists through removing visa requirements…. [for instance] Iranian citizens have been allowed to enter Nakhchivan without needing to obtain a visa as of December 1, 2019,” Nagiyev added.
Iran was named the second most popular destination for Azerbaijani tourists in 2019, as per data collected from travel agencies.
Georgia, Iran, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine were the top five travel destinations for Azeri citizens in 2019.
Azerbaijani citizens spent most money in Russia ($343.6 million), followed by Iran ($308.4 million), Georgia ($286.5 million), Turkey ($278.3 million) and the UAE ($38.1 million).
Iran eradicated visa requirements for Azerbaijani nationals around three years ago, while Iranians still have to obtain visas to visit Azerbaijan.
Iran expects to reap a bonanza from its plentiful tourist spots, including 22 ones listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, the country aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.
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