BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 26. The number of overnight stays in Azerbaijan's hotels reached 2.647 million in 2022, increasing by 1.5 times against the same period of 2021, Trend reports citing Azerbaijan's State Statistical Committee.
In the period under review, Baku's hotels had the highest number of overnight stays (55.1 percent) in Azerbaijan. Gabala had the second most number of overnight stays (6.5 percent) followed by Khachmaz (4.9 percent), Guba (5.8 percent), Gusar (4.1 percent), Shabran (3.8 percent), Lankaran (3.6 percent), Naftalan (3.2 percent), and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (2.3 percent).
In the meantime, hotels of Shamakhi made up one percent of the overnights stays. The hotel facilities in Gakh and Ganja (0.8 percent), Shusha and Masalli (0.7 percent), and other Azerbaijani cities and districts (5.6 percent) were also among the preferred ones during this period.
From January through September 2022, Baku hotels (79.6 percent) drew the highest number of bednights from international tourists and stateless persons. Gabala became the second district with 7.2 percent, followed by Guba (four percent), Gusar (3.4 percent), Naftalan (2.6 percent), Shabran (0.7 percent), the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (0.6 percent). Other cities and districts of the country made up 1.9 percent of the total number of bednights by international tourists and stateless persons.
The number of overnight stays by foreigners and stateless persons in Azerbaijani hotels grew 3.4 times year on year and amounted to 1.394 million (52.7 percent of the total number of hotel overnight stays).
During this period, the income of hotels made up 355.3 million manat ($158.29 million), rising by 1.7 times compared to the same period of 2021.
In 2021, the number of overnight stays in Azerbaijan's hotel facilities reached 1.172 million, which was 75 percent more than in 2020. Local tourists accounted for 77 percent, while foreign tourists – for 23 percent in the total number of overnight stays.
A total of 46 percent of domestic tourism overnight stays were in Baku's hotels, eight percent – in Gabala, and seven percent – in Guba in 2021. Meanwhile, 84 percent of foreigners' and stateless persons' bednights were in hotels of Baku, whereas five percent accounted for Gabala.