Azerbaijan as a major tourist destination moving into the second half of 2021
This blog feature was written by Trove Associate, Maeve Markowitz.
Azerbaijan has a bounty of cultural and natural sites for the curious traveler. The Azerbaijan Tourism Board has continued to invest in the nation’s unparalleled beauty.
The Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB) has accomplished many program and marketing developments through 2020 and 2021 so far, taking the opportunity during lockdown to both focus on domestic tourism as well as new partnerships and tourism products. Azerbaijan has a bounty of experiences for the tourist looking for less crowded, beautiful, “off the beaten path” experiences in nature and culture, and the investments by the ATB in the last 16 months are bringing that experience to life.
For instance, the ATB, together with the State Tourism Agency (STA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in cooperation with Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), launched the Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms program (SAHMAN), which helps develop nation-wide hygiene protocols for the tourism industry. In addition, ATB has invested in new tourism training and certification centers, a National Hotel Association, as well as new tourism partnerships such as with Ukraine and Israel. ATB has also been investing in branding and marketing, including branding Azerbaijan as a slow food travel destination, investing in rural guesthouse infrastructure as a tourism product, and investing in new tourism products including nature and sustainable tourism (for example, Absheron) as well as cultural products (Shusha City, Silk Road, etc). Press has been a focus, with new list articles and press on Azerbaijan released through the pandemic.
Azerbaijan has positioned its domestic tourism strategy for 2021 to look beyond its major cities, to focus more on natural excursions and cultural experiences. The ATB introduced the domestic travel campaign under the name “Macəra Yaxındadır” which translates to “Adventure is Near.” This encouraged the exploration of the amazing cultural and natural experiences Azerbaijan has to offer by the very people who call the country home.
Azerbaijan launched their first tourism campaign in 2018 and reached record high numbers of international tourists visiting the country in 2019. This was quickly brought to a halt with the Covid-19 outbreak shutting down borders across the globe. With domestic tourism already typically making up about 54 percent of the travel economy, the ATB took 2020 as an opportunity to boost domestic tourism even further. The pandemic not only provided a unique set of challenges to the tourism industry, but new trends and opportunities to capitalize on through creative campaigns.
One trend the ATB identified is that people will opt for outdoor excursions in place of crowded sightseeing or indoor events. The ATB’s CEO, Florian Sengstschmid, was quoted as saying, “Certainly, the pandemic fueled a growing demand for nature-related, eco-friendly, and outdoor activities.” In reaction, the ATB opened and marked 15 new hiking trails. 150 kilometers of these hiking trails are also helping to connect remote mountain villages which allows for an increase in accessibility for outdoor explorers.
The ATB also identified the birdwatching community as a key target demographic. Azerbaijan has over 400 species of birds to see and the ATB was able to capitalize on this tourism opportunity by focusing efforts on developing the birdwatching experience for tourists. Certified bird watching destinations within Azerbaijan were instituted and resources were dedicated to the preservation of these land reserves. This includes a center at the Beshbarmag State Reserve that will keep data on the bird populations in the area and will act as a hub for birdwatchers. In order to put Azerbaijan on the birdwatching map, the ATB put out an informational brochure on the best spots, the best times of the year, and the best expert guides for birdwatchers to optimize their experience.
Due to the geography of the region, Azerbaijan is rich and diverse in cuisine; making it an ideal travel destination for foodie tourists. The ATB chose to hone in on the unique agricultural makeup of the country, with each region being famous for a different produce, and promote agritourism. Specifically, by creating the Slow Food Project - a project that allows people to travel to rural farmhouses and get involved in the process of bringing their meals from the earth to their dinner plate. Sakina Asgarova, the manager of the Slow Food Project at ATB, explained that the program gives participants access to “local products on the brink of extinction (‘presidia’ products), including mountain honey, the Madrasa grape and wine, hazelnuts, rosehip syrup, and dairy products from buffalo milk.” The project has also developed informational materials for schools and culinary tour guides to spread the word about the fleeting opportunities to experience Azerbaijan land and produce as it is today.
Moving forward, in addition to these worthy developments, ATB can begin to plan for an international marketing campaign. This will include a net-new market segmentation, due to the changes in market preferences and behaviors during the last 16 months, as well as a new branding strategy. ATB must understand which segments, from where, and who wants to come to Azerbaijan from global locations and then develop a smart press, B2B, B2C, and social strategy to target those segments. Read about how Trove does Branding Strategy and what the right brand and campaign can do for your destination.