Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB) is holding a three-city roadshow in India. The roadshows are being held in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to create about Azerbaijan’s tourism offerings.
The Delhi roadshow was addressed by Ashraf Shikhaliyev, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to India, Officials from the Azerbaijan Tourism Board led by Florian Sengstschmid, CEO and Nazim Samadov, Deputy Director Executive of Azerbaijan Airlines/ Buta Airways.
“Azerbaijan is the ideal destination for numerous reasons. With excellent connectivity and a wide variety of experiences, Baku is an affluent city with modern infrastructure. It is still a relatively unexplored destination, which is a key selling point for Indian tourists who want a unique experience. We are seeing a surge in business events and wedding travel – Azerbaijan provides the perfect set up for weddings with world class hotels and gorgeous indoor and outdoor locations. With over 15 million weddings each year, the Indian wedding, honeymoon and milestone celebrations market offers tremendous potential,” Shikhaliyev said.
With a direct flight from Delhi and a simplified electronic visa procedure for Indian passport holders, tourism from India to Azerbaijan increased by 80 per cent in 2019.
“These roadshows underpin our commitment to India and its residents. The Azerbaijani people are excited to share their culture, cuisine and country with visitors from India. We encourage everyone to indulge their palate with unique flavours and expect a plethora of gourmet vegetarian options that will delight food connoisseurs. We look forward to enhancing our tourism proposition in the industry and becoming a leading destination brand in the world, as we continue to provide tourists with unique, authentic experiences that will leave them with lasting memories for a lifetime. Tourism is the cornerstone of Azerbaijan’s diversified economic growth and the recent investments in tourism and country promotion are testimony to the fact that Azerbaijan is poised to become a premium MICE destination with a well-developed corporate infrastructure equipped to host large-scale business meetings and conferences,” Sengstschmid commented.
“Azerbaijan Airlines route network is constantly analysing demand from tourists and looking at launching direct flights to these destinations. The national air carrier AZAL is known for its high level of service and safety and in the coming years, we are working towards expanding and adding flights to more destinations in the Asian region,” Samadov said.