Tourist spending in Azerbaijan declines by 21%

Foreign visitors and stateless persons who traveled to Azerbaijan in January–June 2026 spent a total of AZN 1.22 billion (about $716 million) in the country, according to official statistics.

According to the official data, cited by Report, this represents a 21% decline compared with the same period last year.

Transport services accounted for the largest share of tourist spending. Over the six-month period, visitors spent AZN 554.4 million (about $326.1 million) on transportation, down 22% year-on-year.

Spending on accommodation services fell by 30.2% to AZN 222.1 million (about $130.7 million).

Tourists spent AZN 226 million (about $132.9 million) on food, a decrease of 19.5% compared with the previous year.

Spending on cultural services also declined by 21.3%, totaling AZN 7.1 million (about $4.2 million).

During the first half of the year, tourists spent AZN 570,900 (about $336,000) on travel packages, down 18.2% year-on-year.

Expenses on vehicle rentals amounted to AZN 1.9 million (about $1.1 million) (-0.2%), while spending on sports and entertainment services reached AZN 9.2 million (about $5.4 million) (+3.4%). Purchases of goods and gifts totaled AZN 149.2 million (about $87.8 million) (-1.7%), and other expenses amounted to AZN 47.4 million (about $27.9 million) (-15.9%).

By country, tourists from Russia accounted for the highest spending. Their expenditures declined by 9.5% year-on-year to AZN 381.9 million (about $224.6 million).

Visitors from Türkiye spent AZN 151.8 million (about $89.3 million), down 8% compared with the previous year. Spending by tourists from Kazakhstan, however, increased by 5.4% to AZN 66.1 million (about $38.9 million).

In the first six months of 2026, Azerbaijan welcomed 1.09 million foreign visitors and stateless persons from 189 countries, a 10.3% decrease compared with the same period in 2025.

The largest groups of visitors were citizens of Russia (28.1%), Türkiye (21%), Iran (8.2%), Georgia (4.9%), Kazakhstan (4.6%), Uzbekistan (3.2%), Pakistan (2.9%), India (2.8%), Israel (2.6%), China (2.4%), Saudi Arabia (1.8%), Ukraine (1.6%), and Turkmenistan (1.3%). Germany and the United Kingdom each accounted for 1.1%. Visitors from other countries and stateless persons represented 12.4% of arrivals. Men accounted for 68.7% of visitors and women for 31.3%.

Over the year, arrivals from European Union countries increased by 9.3% to 54,400 people, while visitors from CIS countries rose by 1.8% to 430,400 people. At the same time, arrivals from Gulf countries fell by 31.4% to 127,700 people, and visitors from other countries decreased by 14.1% to 480,100 people.

Among all foreign visitors and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan, 71.1% traveled by air, 27.5% by rail and road transport, and 1.4% by sea.