Azerbaijan is open for travellers from nine countries – including three GCC nations – for quarantine-free travel over the summer. Citizens and residents of the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar have been given another summer destination to choose from – at this stage, however, travel is only open for those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. Sinopharm is an accepted vaccine, alongside Pfizer, Vaxzevria, Sinovac and Sputnik V, among the others.
MIDDLE EAST FOCUS
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have traditionally been the three most important markets from the Middle East, Florian Sengstschmid, CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board, told TTN in a recent interview. “We are working on a representation office here in the UAE, which we hope to fully roll out by the second half of this year. We hope to be able to engage extensively with the region later this year.”
Azerbaijan has conducted two major events in the recent past, the UEFA Euro 2020 quarter finals (with 50 per cent live audience in the Baku Olympic Stadium) and the Formula One race from June 4th to 6th, which did not have an audience. The country has been busy preparing itself for tourists all the while.
“We have focused and invested heavily in product and destination development this past year, be it bird-watching, hiking or our up-and-coming mud volcano experience centre. A lot of investment has also been put in developing the Silk Route. We are working on a trans-Caucasus hiking trail between Georgia and Azerbaijan – therein lie ancient villages, the Unesco World Heritage Site of Shaki, Lahich – famous for its silk handicraft, and Baskal, where we have unearthed remains of mosques from the 16th century, another from the 11th century. There is a lot of archaeological restoration work happening but we are also working on the tourism
product angle.
“However, while the Silk Route is work in progress, connecting with nature, green tourism, open spaces, fresh lakes and…