Fuad Naghiyev: Tourism sector grew 25% annually in post-pandemic period

The tourism accommodation and catering sector in Azerbaijan recorded an average annual GDP growth of 24.5% from 2021 to 2025, reaching 3.6 billion manats ($2.12 billion), Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, said during public hearings at the Milli Majlis on "Current State and Prospects of Tourism Development in Azerbaijan."

According to Report, Naghiyev noted that this figure exceeds pre-pandemic levels by 23.2%. The total added value generated by the tourism sector reached 6.9 billion manats ($4.06 billion) in 2025.

"Thanks to this growth, the tourism sector"s share of the national economy rose to 5.3% in 2025 for the first time in the country"s history. The rapid expansion has driven the creation of new jobs in the industry. Over the post-pandemic period, 58,000 new jobs were created in the accommodation and catering sector, including 21,000 in 2025 alone. As a result, the sector"s share in the labor market increased from 1.5% to 4.6% over five years," Naghiyev said.