Kanan Guluzada: Foreign tourists spent over 3B manats in Azerbaijan

Foreign tourist spending in Azerbaijan in hard currency exceeded 3 billion manats for January-November 2025, while domestic tourist spending for January-September amounted to 4.5 billion manats, said Kanan Guluzada, advisor to the chairman of the State Tourism Agency, Report informs.

Preliminary estimates indicate that total tourist spending will exceed 9 billion manats by the end of the year. Sustainable growth is expected in the near future as part of the state tourism development program for 2026-2030.

According to him, Azerbaijan ranks average globally in terms of public spending on tourism development, ranking 65th out of 119 countries. The data is based on the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Development Index for 2024. The public spending on travel and tourism indicator is assessed on a 7-point scale and stands at 2.92 in Azerbaijan, compared to the global average of 3.5. By comparison, Georgia received 3.07 points (56th place), and Armenia 3.31 points (51st place).

Guluzada emphasized that additional investments are needed for further revenue growth. According to him, from 2018 to 2024, the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau spent an average of 16.7 manats on attracting one new tourist, while tax revenues to the budget amounted to 94.7 manats. "Investments in tourism development are not only economically beneficial but also necessary. Tourism is not only about indicators and statistics, but also one of the key areas for promoting the country, its culture, and history on the international stage," he noted.

($1=1.7 manats)