The drone attack on Nakhchivan by Iran has not only brought security issues in the region back to the agenda but also increased discussions regarding the economic and social impacts of the incident. In particular, the psychological and informational impacts arising in the tourism sector have come into focus. Against the backdrop of the current situation, the resilience of Azerbaijan's tourism sector and how tourist interest in the region might change is one of the main topics of discussion.
Tourism expert Jafar Garayev stated in his comments to Modern.az that the drone attack on Nakhchivan from Iran will not seriously affect Azerbaijani tourism:
“Previously, conflicts in the Middle East had also somewhat reduced the tourist flow to Azerbaijan.”
According to him, the process has been reciprocal, and a decrease in local tourists' visits to other countries, especially Arab states, is also observed.
Jafar Garayev emphasized that currently, Azerbaijan's airspace is open from all directions, and tourism companies continue their activities:
“At the same time, tourism agencies are working in coordination with aviation companies for the evacuation of tourists in Arab countries.”
The expert recalled that although Azerbaijani tourism experienced a significant decline during the pandemic in previous years, tourism specialists later managed to stabilize the situation.
Tourism expert Jeyhun Ashurov stated in his comments to Modern.az that in such cases, the tourism sector is the first to suffer.
According to him, tourism is a very sensitive sector, and when a risk to human life arises, trips are immediately postponed.
The expert noted that the conflict in the Middle East also affects Azerbaijani tourism as a region. This impact is particularly evident in the number of guests in Azerbaijan:
“Currently, a sharp decrease in the number of reservations and bookings is observed. A scarcity of guests in Baku hotels is noticeable and indicated by observations. The number of guests has decreased by approximately 80 percent.”
