[TtL news] CEO Interview  'Florian Sengstschmid'  CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board 

Q. Azerbaijan is one of three countries in Caucasus group (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia). How is Azerbaijan different from Armenia and Georgia?

A. Azerbaijan is the largest of the three countries and is also very wealthy, thanks to our exploration of oil. Georgia and Armenia are ancient Christian nations, whilst we are a predominantly Muslim nation. Our history is very interesting, mixed with Turkic-Iranian-Russian cultural leagacy.

Our greatest strength is our ability to cater to a wide ride range of tourists. There is something for everyone in Azerbaijan. We are true amalgamation of the East and West with the country encircled in scores of natural beauty speckled with modern architecture and rich medieval history. From untouched natural settings, medieval UNESCO World Heritage sites, and modern archietural delights, there’s adventure and beauty found in every corner. We offer a constantly evolving tapestry of life and energy from bazaars to jazz clubs which makes it an ideal destination for family holidays, group getaways, as well as solo travels.

Q. Among the three Caucasus countries, Georgia and Armenia waive Koreans to apply for visa, but Azerbaijan does not. Isn’t it difficult to get a visa? Although it doesn’t fall under your jurisdiction, is there any activities that you are reviewing to boost tourism to Azerbaijan for Koreans, for example, visa waiver?  

A. In August of 2017 Azerbaijan launched innovative portal – evisa.gov.az. passport holders of 95 countries are eligible to apply for an e-visa to the Republic of Azerbaijan via this portal. The only document required for an e-visa application is the scanned data page of ticket holders passport.  Application- Payment-Download as simple as that.  The fees are 26 USD and it takes 1-3 days to receive confirmation on line.
The visa upon arrival service is also provided to citizens of 14 countries including South Korea. This is especially convienient for the tourists arriving through our airport. For the land entry you would still need to apply for e-visa previous to the travel schedule.
We are aware of visa waiver to Georgia and Armenia for Korean citizens and we are working on the same to accommodate for convenience of Korean travellers.

Q. What are the statistics of Koreans visiting Azerbaijan – numbers of visitors, daily spending, length of stay, and preferred attractions?

A. In 2018, 7,848 Korean travelers visited Azerbaijan. Although is it still small compared to other overseas destinations, it is great growth of 68% compare to the previous year. Average age of travelers are +50 aged group travelers for Caucasus tours, and they spent two nights in Azerbaijan out of average 9 nights of total trip in the region. The main attractions for Korean tourists are historic and cultural sites such as UNESCO Heritage attractions in Baku, Gobustan and Sheki, the main hub of the Silk Route. The statistics shows that the expenditure of Korean tourist last year was 7.1 milion USD.

Q. What is the ranking numbers of Azerbaijan’s tourism from the three major Asian countries - Korea, China and Japan? 

A. Numbers of Chinese are growing rapidly especially after signing of MOU last Febuary 2019. Last year in 2018, we hosted 15,719 travelers (growth of 53%) from China, 7,848 (68% up) from Korea and 5,537 (27% up) travelers from Japan.
In the first quarter 2019, Chinese show 62% growth compared to previous year. Japan by 37% and Korea 21% growth.

Q. How does tourism takes part in the country of Azerbaijan and how important is it?

A. Toursim in Azerbaijan plays a very important role. Over the last decade, the tourism industry has seen significant growth and has made a substantial contribution to our economy. We forsee the industry continuing to grow due to the growing interest of tourists around the world.
Currently, we are on the cusp of a tourism boom as we welcomed a record number of inbound visitors spending more than US$ 2 billion in 2018. In fact, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council 2018 Impact Report, it is forecast to be at 6% per annum over the course of the next 10 years placing Azerbaijan in the top 20 high potential countries in the world. 

Q. What is the nationality of travelers who visit Azerbaijan the most?

A. In 2018, over 196 nationalities visited the country. Visitors from nations that frequent the country mainly are from Russia, Georgia Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Ukraine, and Israel. Through the influx of diverse tourists, we’ve found that Azerbaijan attracts travellers of all kinds and ages, particularly groups of friends seeking outdoor adventures and lively nightlife, couples and families seeking luxury relaxation and outdoor activities, and travelers seeking authentic experiences.

We have seen the growing numbers of group Tourists from Far East, such as Korea, China and Japan who seek for undiscovered destinations with heritage and cultural experience. FIT travellers from Asia explores culture and nature with authentic experiences.

Q. Azerbaijan is known as an Islamic country but allows drinking. Is Azerbaijan liberal to drinking alcohol?

A. Azerbaijan is very proudly a secular and a multi-cultural country. Though we are predominantly Muslim, alcohol is widley avaible and accepted. Azerbaijan also has a rich wine culture spanning over a millennia ago, long before the Caucasus region was divided up into nation states. Our wineries make extensive use of wellknown grape varieties including Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Blanc.

Q. How are security or transportation infrastructure in Azerbaijan for individual travelers?

A. Solo trips to Azerbaijan are on the rise, owing to our cosmopolitan culture and great connectivity across the country. Azerbaijan is also the most stable and secure country in the region, adding to the appeal for individual travelers of different ages and genders.  
Public transport in Azerbaijan is represented by train, buses, subways, minibuses, and taxis. We also We have international taxi companies such as Uber and Taxify operating in the country. The largest cities of Azerbaijan are connected with Baku by direct domestic flights.
To cater to visitors and their need to get around, we recently launched the Baku Card in the capital to help tourists explore and enjoy the city with discounts to the top attractions, special offers at shops, cafes and restaurants, and access to free public transport.

Q. Koreans have less information about Azerbaijan yet so they are not much aware of the destination. What are your plans to promote Azerbaijan in Korea? I would like to know your plans for on-and-offline marketing plans.

A. We need to actively engage in building networks, finding needs and gaps from our market, providing and feeding resources and to build over all awareness of Azerbaijan to Korean travelers. We are well under process of opening ATB representative office by end of this summer to better connect and serve Korean market. We looking forward to announcing the winner by end of July. Details of our action plan will be finalized together with the expertise of Korean office and our global marketing department once its opening.
Our key goal for this stage is to increase awareness. Our main focus this year will be on strong content building, media coverage and also participation in opportunites to show Azerbaijan culture to Korea at international cultural events. In 2020, ATB will be representing for the first time at Korean Travel Fairs.
We also excited to say that Azerbaijan will be shown on korean TV this Autumn, by one of the most influencial TV travel shows to present Azerbaijan as their destinations. We hope many Koreans will have a chance to 'Take Another Look'!

Q. As the CEO of ATB, what is your biggest future plan for the year? I’m curious about other plans than the global campaign ‘Take Another Look.’

A. The ‘Take Another Look’ campaign has helped boost the country's overseas presence. We now have six representative offices in Frankfurt, Dubai, Riyadh, Beijing, Mumbai, and Moscow. We are aiming to boost the country's overseas presence by increasing tourists flow from target markets to support tourism development in the country. I look forward to further enhancing the brand campaign and developing our infrastructure to share the treasures of Azerbaijan with the world.

Reporter KWON, KI JEONG  john@ttlnews.com