Baku: This year, Azerbaijan received tourists from 178 countries, said Emil Zeynalov, Mastercard’s country manager for Azerbaijan, at a press conference, APA-Economics reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Zeynalov highlighted that Turkey tops the list of countries with the most tourists visiting Azerbaijan, followed by the UAE in second place, the United Kingdom in third, Kazakhstan in fourth, and Saudi Arabia rounding out the top five.

Zeynalov further noted that Kazakh tourists are considered a premium segment due to the significant volume of their transactions. He revealed that tourist spending in Azerbaijan has increased by 10%, with most expenditures related to overnight stays. The average cost of a hotel overnight stay is approximately 133 euros.

Additionally, Zeynalov emphasized that tourist visits to Azerbaijan are not restricted to any particular season but occur throughout the year. Mastercard analyzes customer data to assess the contribution of the tourism sector to the local economy.