Baku, Azerbaijan, March 28
By Ilhama Isabalayeva – Trend:
Almost as many tourists came to Azerbaijan this year for Novruz holiday as in the previous year, Nahid Bagirov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AzTA), told Trend March 28.
Despite the fact that this year Iranian tourists were less than in 2017, and they rank first among tourists visiting Azerbaijan, Bagirov said.
The chairman added that during the holidays, there was an increase in the number of tourists who came from Arab countries.
Bagirov noted that this year tourists came from Iran, Arab countries, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries to Azerbaijan to celebrate Novruz.
“Most tourists came to Azerbaijan from those countries where Novruz is celebrated. The hotels are full at the moment. Hotels were mostly booked on March 21, 22 and 23 last year, while this year – for a period from March 28 to March 30,” he added.
AzTA chairman noted that hotels were mostly booked by Iranian and Arab tourists for this period.
“Iranians mainly travel to Baku, while tourists from Arab countries prefer to travel to the districts. The fact that hotels reduced prices by 20-30 percent on the eve of the holiday has also attracted the tourists,” Bagirov added.