BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 9. Azerbaijan has seen a notable increase in the number of tourists from Kyrgyzstan from January through September 2023, Trend reports.
Data from the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan shows that a total of 3,841 tourists from Kyrgyzstan visited Azerbaijan from January through September 2023. This figure soared by 77 percent compared to the same period in 2022, when 2,161 Kyrgyz citizens visited.
These numbers even surpassed the figures from 2019, the year before the COVID-19 restrictions, when 2,936 Kyrgyzstan citizens traveled to Azerbaijan. In contrast, during 2020 and 2021, only 793 and 443 tourists from Kyrgyzstan visited Azerbaijan, respectively.
The month of September 2023 also saw a surge in visitors from Kyrgyzstan, with a total of 600 citizens visiting Azerbaijan. This figure soared by 81 percent compared to September 2022 when 331 tourists arrived. For comparison, in August 2019, only 136 citizens from Kyrgyzstan visited Azerbaijan.
The monthly breakdown of Kyrgyz visitors to Azerbaijan in 2023 is as follows:
- January 2023: 141
- February 2023: 238
- March 2023: 372
- April 2023: 423
- May 2023: 559
- June 2023: 475
- July 2023: 495
- August 2023: 538
- September 2023: 600
The launch of a direct flight between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan could have been one of the reasons for the increase in the number of tourists.
Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan in Azerbaijan, Kairat Osmonaliyev, previously told Trend that the embassy had been working hard on launching a direct flight between Baku and Bishkek. This direct flight, which was first operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) on July 22, marked its return after a seven-year hiatus. Ambassador Osmonaliyev expressed hopes that AZAL would continue to support this re-established direct flight in the future.