Tourism in Azerbaijan has been an important sector of the Azerbaijani economy since the 1990s. According to Azerbaijan's Center for Economic and Social Development, the country is in 39th place among 148 countries in tourism competitiveness indicators. The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that Azerbaijan is among the top ten countries with the greatest increase in visitor exports from 2010 to 2016. The country had the world's fastest-developing travel and tourism economy (a 46.1% increase) in 2017. To promote tourism, Azerbaijan sponsored Atlético Madrid jerseys reading "Azerbaijan – Land of Fire". In 2018, a new tourism brand and a slogan "take another look" were introduced.
In 2025, tourism services brought Azerbaijan about $2 billion in foreign exchange earnings. The value added of tourism-related activities approached 7 billion manats, and the sector's share in the national economy reached approximately 5.4%.
Visas
Tourist visas can be obtained from an Azerbaijani embassy or electronically online without an embassy visit. In 2016, a tax-free shopping system was introduced to attract foreign shoppers. Purchases must be made up to 90 days before export to be eligible for the tax refund.
In January 2017, Azerbaijan introduced its electronic visa for a single-entry visit of up to 30 days. The e-visa is available to tourists from 93 countries, who can apply on the e-visa website. A visa is not required for citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States (except Turkmenistan and Armenia) who intend to visit Azerbaijan within 90 days.
Due to a state of war with Armenia, the government of Azerbaijan has banned the entry of citizens from Armenia, as well as citizens of any other country who are of Armenian descent (including Armenian Russians, Turkish Armenians, etc.), to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Statistics
+Tourist arrivals of 2024 in %
+Yearly tourist arrivals in millions
Over 1.4 million tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2008. In 2017, a record-high number of 2,691,998 foreign citizens visited Azerbaijan. Visitors to the country in 2017 came from the following countries:
In 2024, Azerbaijan received about 2.63 million foreign visitors, a 25.9% increase on 2023, of whom roughly 1.86 million arrived for tourism purposes, according to the State Statistical Committee.
+2017 visitors Country NumberRussia853,082 Georgia537,710 Iran362,597Turkey301,553 United Arab Emirates102,360 Iraq62,454Ukraine57,756 Saudi Arabia33,273Kazakhstan31,994United Kingdom29,514Uzbekistan16,093Germany13,042Belarus12,320United States12,291Israel10,814Italy8,654Turkmenistan7,637Saudi Arabia7,463China7,363India6,012France5,785Total2,691,998
+Visitors by yearYearNumber2006900,00020071,100,000 2008 1,400,0002009 (9 months)1,000,98820101,850,00020112,239,00020122,484,04820132,508,90420142,297,80420152,006,17620162,242,78320172,691,99820182,849,60020193,170,00020201,299,4002021792,00020221,602,00020232,086,00020242,626,70020252,570,000
+ Tourists in Azerbaijan by nationality (2010–2019) Rank Nationality 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 1 701,110 786,684 876,013 903,242 843,851 685,555 744,125 854,331 880,029 932,984 2 491,942 573,063 763,251 810,390 699,532 571,648 506,306 538,213 610,556 725,465 3 214,594 242,606 295,549 361,413 314,476 288,620 313,341 301,924 291,499 316,628 4 312 284 380 479 507 727 7,463 33,312 73,284 107,230 5 412 469 551 638 821 2,379 53,180 102,498 94,031 68,346 6 3,755 3,715 5,048 4,791 4,853 5,584 6,012 14,244 39,051 65,118 7 31,500 40,030 42,393 51,802 58,201 55,119 55,508 57,818 57,707 59,116 8 4,072 3,969 4,906 4,766 5,398 6,800 7,637 17,101 28,305 52,127 9 549 679 917 991 738 2,147 62,983 62,547 67,514 50,72310 19,209 28,225 25,295 28,226 29,468 27,145 31,994 36,360 37,824 47,55111 6,346 5,671 6,369 6,989 7,534 8,325 10,814 15,385 40,185 47,05612 1,949 1,743 1,675 1,767 1,817 2,193 3,998 17,579 41,307 46,60213 24,160 24,646 29,125 32,841 33,563 34,892 29,514 31,751 29,417 36,91414 322 324 233 392 419 528 1,699 16,481 29,803 30,30315 5,846 6,224 5,060 6,465 5,930 5,094 7,363 10,274 15,730 25,542 Others 959,375 1,012,692 1,120,726 980,164 974,674 1,277,506 1,409,215 1,643,517 1,484,033 558,668 Total 1,962,906 2,239,141 2,484,048 2,508,904 2,297,804 2,006,176 2,248,773 2,696,745 2,849,592 3,170,373
+ Tourists in Azerbaijan by nationality (2020–2023) Rank Nationality 2023 2022 2021 2020 1 624,753 446,712 258,315 225,201 2 378,045 311,804 197,907 160,504 3 165,214 170,450 125,358 72,783 4 117,302 60,731 5,705 12,769 5 104,450 82,206 62,666 184,228 6 80,675 96,233 8,834 11,945 7 58,062 3,411 1,912 1,567 8 55,148 51,691 2,948 7,773 9 29,692 22,609 2,289 7,07610 29,091 23,933 6,655 4,23811 45,759 41,085 17,320 7,95112 39,655 26,301 4,213 5,28313 31,267 27,741 17,428 16,95314 27,612 18,562 5,730 6,03615 26,010 11,188 2,738 8,257 Others 283,745 285,592 348,513 272,148 Total 2,085,790 1,602,279 791,751 795,722
Most of the visitors were from Europe, Asia, and North America. There were 1,818,258 foreigners in Azerbaijan in 2017. The overwhelming majority were citizens of the Russian Federation, Georgia, Iran, Turkey and UAE. “Azerbaijan expects a massive flow of tourists from the Arab countries, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, much less will come from Ukraine and Belarus, and only a small flow from European states.
Azerbaijan had 320 hotels in 2007, 370 in 2008, 452 in 2009, 499 in 2010, 508 in 2011 and 514 in 2012. The country has 230 tourist agencies and 560 hotels and hostels.
State support Azerbaijan began tourism-development planning for 2002–2005 and 2010–2014. The programs compiled tourism statistics, particularly its effect on the GNP. The Ministry of Tourism made a development study from 2008 to 2016 to increase accommodations and attract foreigners.
In March 2018, Ministry of Culture tourism head Aydin Ismiyev expressed a desire to develop Halal tourism. The following month, the 17th international tourism and travel exhibition (AITF 2018) opened. Azerbaijan also provides culinary tourism.
Resort areas In addition to the capital, Baku, Azerbaijan has a number of resort areas with varied climates and a variety of flora and fauna. Notable areas are the cities of Ganja, Nakhchivan, Gabala and Shaki Shaki is noted for its architectural heritage: the 1763 Palace of Shaki Khans, mausoleums and fortresses. Nakhchivan was a centre of traditional medicine and has salt mines and mausoleums. Lankaran, near the Caspian Sea, has a history dating back to the 10th century BC.
Historic monuments
Baku's Old City
Baku has a number of historic and architectural monuments. The Old City is its ancient core. In December 2000, the Old City (including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower) was named Azerbaijan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Maiden Tower, in the south-western part of the walled city, was built in two stages. Its bottom part, high, is dated by most experts to the 6th–7th centuries BC. The tower has a total height of , with a diameter of . The wall is thick at the bottom, tapering to at the top. The tower has of eight tiers and a well. It was built by 12th-century architect Masud ibn Davud, who was probably the father of the architect of the Mardakan Round Tower.Ашурбейли Сара. История города Баку: период средневековья. Баку, Азернешр, 1992; page 149 Its foundation is believed to be a Sasanid-era Zoroastrian site.
Ateshgah of Baku
The Ateshgah of Baku is a temple in the south-western Suraxanı raion on the Absheron Peninsula, from Baku. West of the Caspian Sea, it was built by Hindu, Sikh and Parsi traders from the Indian subcontinent during the 17th and 18th centuries. Ateshgah is a fire temple, with its central stone shrine on a pocket of natural gas. The present structure was built around 1713, and the central shrine was funded by the merchant Kanchanagaran in 1810.
The Absheron Peninsula is noted for its shallow oil deposits, which trigger natural oil fires. Zoroastrianism has a long history in Azerbaijan, and the region was considered sacred by Zoroastrians due to these natural fires. Scholars have speculated that the temple may have been an ancient Zoroastrian shrine, which was destroyed by invading Islamic armies during the Muslim conquest of Persia and its neighbouring regions.
The complex was converted into a museum in 1975 and receives about 15,000 visitors a year. It was nominated as a World Heritage site in 1998 and was declared a state historical-architectural reserve.
Gobustan National Park Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, located southwest of Baku, is renowned for its ancient rock carvings and unique geological features, including mud volcanoes. Established in 1966, the reserve was designated a national historical landmark to protect its rich archaeological and natural heritage.
Within the park lies the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, home to more than 6,000 petroglyphs dating from approximately 5,000 to 40,000 years ago. These rock engravings depict scenes of prehistoric life, including primitive humans, animals, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances, camel caravans, and representations of the sun and stars.
The site also contains remnants of inhabited caves, settlements, and burial grounds, reflecting continuous human presence from the Upper Paleolithic period to the Middle Ages. Covering an area of , the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 in recognition of its universal value.
Palace of Shaki Khans
The Palace of Shaki Khans in Shaki, from Baku, was a summer residence of the Shaki Khanate which was built in the early 18th century. It features decorative tiles, fountains, and several stained-glass windows. The exterior is decorated with dark blue, turquoise and ochre tiles in geometric patterns; the murals, coloured with tempera, are inspired by the poetry of Nizami Ganjavi.David C. King. Azerbaijan, Marshall Cavendish, 2006, p. 99
Modern architecture The white Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Zaha Hadid, is a symbol of modern Baku. It contains two ornamental pools and an artificial lake.
Mountain tourism Mountain tourism is a popular attraction in Azerbaijan, particularly during the winter season. Two major mountain resorts, Tufandag in the Gabala district and Shahdag in the Gusar district, have been developed to promote winter tourism and alpine sports. Located at altitudes between above sea level.
Shahdag Mountain Resort (named after the Greater Caucasus mountain), about from Qusar, is Azerbaijan's first ski resort. Tufandag, about from Gabala, has a cable car, skiing, an entertainment center for children and a hotel.
Mountain tourism in Azerbaijan is promoted by the Mountain Sports Club (MSC), established in 1999. Members of the club have undertaken expeditions to notable peaks, including Mount Shahdagh.
The village of Lahij, in the southern Greater Caucasus range of northern Azerbaijan about above sea level, is a center of ancient art. Lahij is known for its forests, mountains, waterfalls, historic monuments and ancient artifacts. Laza is a village at the foot of Mount Shahdagh.
National parks
In addition to Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Azerbaijan has eight other national parks including Zangezur National Park (formerly Ordubad National Park), which was renamed and expanded in 2009.
The semi-arid Shirvan National Park has a lake covering about .
Ag-Gel National Park, also semi-arid, is on the Mil plain of the Kura-Aras lowland. Over 140 species of birds are found there, including 89 species of nesting birds such as partridge, spoonbill, swan, teal and bustard. The park is on the Ramsar Convention list of internationally important wetlands.
Hirkan National Park is on the Lankaran Lowland and in the Talysh Mountains.
Altyaghach National Park is 90.5% covered by temperate deciduous broadleaf forest.