BAKU, July 19 — Azerbaijan welcomed 97,139 visitors from the Middle East between January and May 2025, marking a 20% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the State Tourism Agency.
Saudi Arabia topped the list with 28,571 tourists, a 17% rise year-on-year. Notably, arrivals from Israel surged by 149% to reach 20,088, while the UAE followed closely with 19,588 (+18%). Other countries posted mixed trends: Kuwait sent 10,149 visitors (-17%), Oman 6,916 (-10%), and Iraq 1,739 (-32%). Meanwhile, there was notable growth in tourist numbers from Jordan (+44%), Egypt (+11%), and Yemen (+10%). Palestine, which had no recorded tourists last year, sent 350 visitors in the current period.
In total, Azerbaijan hosted 979,951 foreign tourists during the first five months of 2025, representing a slight 1% uptick over the previous year.
In 2024, tourist arrivals from the Middle East reached 266,326 — up 14.77% from 2023 — with the highest volumes from Saudi Arabia (98,113), the UAE (46,706), and Kuwait (31,373). Over the broader period from 2017 to 2024, more than 1.8 million Middle Eastern travelers visited Azerbaijan.
While the data indicates Azerbaijan’s continued appeal to Gulf and Levant countries, the drop in numbers from Iraq, Kuwait, and Oman this year may signal shifting regional travel dynamics or concerns around affordability and accessibility. Analysts suggest targeted marketing and improved flight connectivity could help reverse these trends and sustain growth in the post-pandemic travel market.
