Rolling out the red carpet

From vineyards to fortresses, Azerbaijan beckons Chinese travelers with open borders and timeless wonders, Yang Feiyue reports.

In a strategic move to capture a larger share of the Chinese outbound travel market, the Azerbaijan Tourism Board is enhancing its China Ready program, designed to cater specifically to the preferences and needs of Chinese visitors. The initiative focuses on creating a more welcoming environment through personalized services and stronger cultural familiarity.

More than 100 members of Azerbaijan's tourism industry are actively involved, covering various aspects of the Chinese travel market.

These include deepening the understanding of Chinese culture and traveler preferences, improving Chinese language skills to facilitate clearer communication, and offering services tailored to Chinese travelers, according to the board.

Specifically, Azerbaijan is also working to ensure more convenience in facilities, from expanding payment options to adding Chinese dishes to hotel menus and launching more direct flight routes.

Since July 16, the visa waiver agreement between China and Azerbaijan has officially been in effect. This means that Chinese citizens holding valid ordinary passports can now enter Azerbaijan without a visa, staying up to 30 days per visit and no more than 90 days within every 180 days.

Before that, Azerbaijan had already introduced a one-year unilateral visa-free trial for Chinese visitors in 2024.

"We're confident that this will encourage more (Chinese) visitors in the future," says Gunel Alakbarova, head of the Asian region at Azerbaijan Tourism Board.

The results are already visible. In the first six months of this year, Azerbaijan received more than 26,000 Chinese visitors, a 57 percent increase over the same period last year. The total for 2024 reached 44,798, nearly double the figure in 2023, according to the tourism board.

"And if we look further back, compared with 2019, that's a 76-percent growth over five years. These numbers clearly show the strong and growing interest from the Chinese market in visiting Azerbaijan," Alakbarova says.

To build momentum under the visa-free policy, the Azerbaijan Tourism Board has intensified its promotions in China.

In mid-September, it organized road shows in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with further events scheduled in Shenzhen in Guangdong, Chongqing, and Chengdu in Sichuan province in mid-November.

The road shows focus on Azerbaijan's rich tourism resources. Representatives from 16 Azerbaijani airlines, hotels and travel agencies engaged in in-depth exchanges with over 400 Chinese tourism industry counterparts.

"These road shows are an opportunity to showcase Azerbaijan's diversity — from the Caspian coast to the mountains, from cultural heritage sites to modern cities — and the unique experiences we can offer to Chinese travelers," Alakbarova says.

"Through presentations and discussions, we hope to inspire new collaborations and innovative tourism products," she says.