The State Tourism Agency organized the first ever in Baku China Visitors Summit on 17 November, bringing together Chinese and Azerbaijani tourism industry representatives.
Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, stated that the agreements reached during President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to the People’s Republic of China have opened a new stage of cooperation between the two countries in the field of tourism. He emphasized that Azerbaijan currently focuses on two main directions in tourism relations with China – implementing the ‘China Ready’ concept in our country and expanding marketing activities in China. Fuad Nagiyev highlighted that such events and initiatives will make a crucial contribution to increasing mutual tourist flows and further strengthening economic and cultural cooperation between Azerbaijan and China.
The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Lu Mei, stated that China–Azerbaijan relations have consistently developed along a dynamic and stable trajectory since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. The friendship and mutual trust between China and Azerbaijan have strengthened even further in recent years, with tourism becoming one of the key areas of this cooperation. She noted that today’s event is an important initiative aimed at the practical implementation of the agreements reached at the level of the two heads of state. The ambassador emphasized that such events serve as a bridge between the tourism industries of China and Azerbaijan, creating opportunities for new avenues of cooperation.
The ‘China Visitors Summit’ is an international platform held annually in various countries with the participation of Chinese tourism companies, aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation. Being hosted in Baku for the first time, the event is set to include B2B meetings between more than 50 Chinese tour operators and members of the local tourism industry, providing an opportunity to discuss future cooperation prospects. As part of the program, Chinese tourism companies are to visit Shamakhi, Gabala, Sheki, and Gakh to get to know the regional tourism potential.
In 2024, the number of foreign visitors traveling from China to Azerbaijan increased by 94%, reaching 44,798 people, compared to the number recorded in 2023. During January–October 2025, more than 57,000 foreign citizens traveled from China to Azerbaijan, translating to a 49% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Over the past two years, large-scale promotional and marketing activities have been carried out to expand tourism cooperation with China, including memorandums of understanding signed with Qyer.com, Qunar, and Trip.com Group. The Azerbaijan Tourism Board has showcased the country’s tourism potential at the COTTM 2023, GITF 2024, and ITB China 2025 exhibitions, as well as at presentations held in various cities across China. Regular meetings have been conducted with Chinese tourism companies, and active promotion of Azerbaijan has been carried out on platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Qunar, C-trip, Fliggy, Douyin, and Little Red Book. Blogger trips to Azerbaijan have also been organized. Plans for the upcoming year include broader media campaigns, familiarization trips, and a series of presentation events in multiple Chinese cities.
AzVision.az
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