Baku: In the first five months of this year, Azerbaijan welcomed 979.9 thousand foreign visitors and stateless persons from 178 nations, marking a 1.5% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the State Statistical Committee reported the distribution of these tourists, with 24.6% coming from the Russian Federation, 17.7% from Turkey, 10.7% from India, and 8.6% from Iran. Other significant sources included Georgia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, among others. The gender distribution showed that 68.9% of the visitors were men, while 31.1% were women.

The data further revealed varying growth rates from different countries. Notably, the number of visitors from Israel increased 2.5 times, while those from Tajikistan, China, and Jordan also showed considerable growth. Visitors from several other countries, including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and South Korea, contributed to the overall increase in tourist numbers.

Compared to January-May 2024, there was a 2.9% rise in arrivals from European Union member states, reaching 39.0 thousand people. In contrast, arrivals from Gulf countries and CIS nations saw a decline, while those from other countries rose by 10.4%.

Regarding the mode of transport, most visitors (73.4%) traveled by air, 25.2% by rail and road, and a small fraction (1.4%) by sea.