ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Despite starting from a low base in 2022–2024 owing to the COVID‑19 pandemic, regional conflicts and a succession of economic crises, Azerbaijan’s tourism sector has rebounded to over 80% of its pre‑crisis performance.

These accomplishments have been repeatedly highlighted by experts from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The recent 71st session of the UNWTO’s Regional Commission for Europe, held in Baku, focused on strengthening cooperation with European bodies and on climate‑related initiatives in tourism.

Exiting the crisis

Turning to the statistics for the tourism sector, the growth in inbound tourism is particularly encouraging. In 2024, Azerbaijan welcomed nearly 2.627 million foreign visitors and stateless persons from 196 countries—a 25.9% increase on the previous year—and total expenditure by overseas tourists exceeded $5.1 billion. Last year also saw hotel and accommodation revenues rise by 42%, reaching ₼694.2 million. Tourist nights in hotels grew by 25.1% year‑on‑year to just under 4.3 million, 61% of which were in the capital.

These figures demonstrate that Azerbaijan’s tourism sector has fully overcome the inertia of the crisis and is now outperforming global averages on several key metrics. By way of comparison, UNWTO data show international tourism worldwide grew by 11% last year—meaning Azerbaijan’s increase was two and a half times the global rate.

It should be noted that we have long and successfully cooperated with UNWTO structures, particularly its European division, to promote our country’s tourism potential in the Old World. Azerbaijan has been a member of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe since 2001, has served three times on its Executive Council, and even chaired it in 2017.

The European inbound market traditionally occupies the premium segment of the tourism industry, and relevant national agencies have been working for several years to unlock this potential. With around 500 million inhabitants and within a maximum five‑hour flight from most European capitals, Europe represents a sizeable and readily accessible market for Azerbaijan.

Among the notable advantages are the ASAN Visa system—highly accessible to EU citizens—and nine airports capable of handling international traffic, including the region’s most modern and capacious hub, Heydar Aliyev International Airport, as well as the three new airports in the Garabagh region at Fuzuli, Zangilan and, most recently, Lachin.

Developing transport and tourism infrastructure on territories liberated from occupation is of critical importance: in future, the recreational sector is set to play a central role in the economic development of the Garabagh region. In this regard, Azerbaijan has made significant progress in implementing the international classification and certification system for tourist facilities and in training qualified personnel. Building on this experience, we are now shaping tourist destinations in Garabagh.

“Over recent years our country has achieved considerable success in the recreational sector; the classification system for tourist facilities has been extended to territories liberated from occupation. In 2024, the tourism sector contributed 4.5% of GDP, and positive growth is anticipated in 2025,” stated Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, at the session of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe. He added that the expansion of direct air links, the streamlined e‑visa process and a welcoming environment have reinforced Azerbaijan’s status as a bridge between Europe and the region. Efforts to promote our tourist destinations in the European market have proved highly effective: in 2024, 112,300 tourists arrived from EU countries, almost 35% more than the previous year.

Decarbonising tourism

The session also addressed the promotion of sustainable tourism practices across the European region, mobilisation of resources for the green transition, initial steps towards decarbonisation in tourism, practical solutions for measuring and reducing emissions, and management of climate risks such as sea‑level rise, extreme weather events and threats to ecosystems.

“Hosting the COP29 UN climate conference in Baku last year enhanced our country’s international role in tourism. Through our partnership with UNWTO, tourism issues were included in the climate summit agenda for the first time, and the flagship initiative—the COP29 Declaration on Strengthening Climate Action in Tourism—garnered support from over 70 countries, including several European states,” Naghiyev noted.

In this context, measures currently being implemented in Azerbaijan’s tourism sector to minimise climate impact were presented. These include the development of a National Climate Action Plan for Tourism and the application of sustainable infrastructure principles in the development of the recreational sector.

“Today the UNWTO is working to create a framework programme in line with the Baku Declaration, covering social, economic and, of course, environmental sustainability,” reported Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UNWTO.

It should be recalled that, according to UNWTO and the International Transport Forum, tourism‑related CO₂ emissions rose by 60% between 2005 and 2016, with transport‑related emissions accounting for 5% of the global total in 2016. To address this challenge, the core commitments of the Glasgow Declaration were emphasised: participating countries pledge to halve emissions by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. The natural progression of these efforts was the adoption in November last year of the Baku Declaration COP29 on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism, which calls on governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to set targets for carbon reduction strategies and to support measures in this direction.