BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 12. Just a few days back,
Uzbekistan’s Centrum Air took to the skies with direct flights on
the Baku-Tashkent route, making waves in the travel scene. The
launch of these flights could open up a world of opportunities for
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, touching on various sectors like
tourism, economy, culture, and regional cooperation, paving the way
for a brighter future.
The introduction of new routes to the transport infrastructure
will surely shake things up in the tourism sector as well. Direct
flights make travel more accessible and convenient, which increases
mutual tourist flows between the two countries. More tourists mean
more hotel stays, restaurant visits, and use of local services.
Furthermore, the new flights provide great opportunities for joint
tour organization, especially for these two countries located on
the historic Silk Road.
When it comes to bolstering economic connections, the
Baku-Tashkent flights are set to take the bull by the horns and
make a significant impact. These new flights could directly ease
travel for entrepreneurs and investors, resulting in the
development of trade relations. Direct connections also create a
foundation for new agreements and collaborations.
Commenting on the issue, the State Tourism Agency told Trend that Uzbekistan
ranks among Azerbaijan’s target tourism markets in the Central Asia
region.
It was noted that the number of tourists arriving from
Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan has grown in recent years.
“In 2024, the number of citizens traveling from Uzbekistan to
our country increased by 17 percent compared to 2023, reaching
46,396 people.
Uzbek tourists, who previously favored health tourism, are now
showing growing interest not only in health tourism but also in
tours to Baku and surrounding regions, as well as in diverse
tourism products.
To promote Azerbaijan’s tourism potential in Uzbekistan, various
marketing and promotional activities have been carried out by the
Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, which operates under the State Tourism
Agency. For example, Azerbaijan’s tourism potential was introduced
at the Tashkent International Tourism Fair (TITF 2022) held in
Uzbekistan in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In addition to exhibitions, a
series of events, seminars, and B2B meetings involving tourism
industry representatives were organized in various cities of
Uzbekistan.
Various events are being carried out to strengthen the existing
tourism relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as to
explore cooperation opportunities within international
organizations such as the UN World Tourism Organization, the Turkic
States Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and
the Economic Cooperation Organization. On August 23, 2024, within
the framework of the official visit of the President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev to Uzbekistan, the “Action Plan for Tourism
Cooperation between the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and the
Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental
Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan for 2024-2026” was
signed.
Besides, on April 5, 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding on
tourism cooperation was signed between the Azerbaijan Tourism
Bureau and the Uzbekistan National Propaganda Center. The agreement
focuses on increasing tourist flows under the “Silk Road tours”
initiative, strengthening positions in Central Europe and other
international markets, as well as developing joint tourism
products, organizing promotional events, and B2B meetings.
To expand cooperation in winter tourism, a Memorandum of
Understanding was signed on September 23, 2024, between
Azerbaijan’s Shahdag, Kazakhstan’s Chimbulak, Türkiye’s Uludağ, and
Uzbekistan’s Amirsoy mountain resorts, establishing the Turkish Ski
Resorts Union.
In April 2025, direct flights will be launched from Azerbaijan
to Tashkent, with AZAL airlines operating five times a week, and to
Samarkand, with Uzbekistan Airways operating four times a week,”
the agency said.
The Azerbaijani State Border Service data shows that from
January through March 2025, 508,100 foreigners, including 1.8
percent of Uzbek citizens, and stateless persons visited Azerbaijan
from 167 countries, marking a 1.1 percent decrease compared to the
same period last year. In the reporting period, 69.9 percent of
foreign visitors to Azerbaijan used air transport, 28.4 percent
traveled by rail and road, and 1.7 percent used sea transport.
Meanwhile, the number of Azerbaijani citizens traveling abroad
decreased by 0.7 percent in the first three months of 2025 compared
to the same period in 2024, reaching 468,900. Among them, 0.7
percent traveled to Uzbekistan.
The majority of Azerbaijani citizens traveling abroad (68.2
percent) used air transport, 29.7percent traveled by rail and road,
and 2.1 percent used sea transport.
CEO at Azerbaijan’s Smart Hotel Management and Consulting Jeyhun
Ashurov said that Uzbekistan is an actively developing Central
Asian country attracting investors and achieving success in various
sectors of its economy.
According to him, recent years have seen an increase in the
intensity of relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
“One of the main reasons for this rapprochement is the expansion
of transportation options, such as the removal of visa requirements
and the establishment of direct flights. These factors have
simplified travel opportunities for citizens of both countries,
which in turn affects the tourism sector,” he mentioned.
Ashurov noted that among foreign nationals visiting Azerbaijan,
the number of tourists from Uzbekistan is quite significant.
“Just last year, more than 46,000 tourists came from Uzbekistan
to Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that Uzbekistan ranks in the
top ten countries in terms of tourist arrivals to our country.
It’s clear that the launch of Baku-Tashkent flights will also
influence the number of travelers from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan.
Let me also point out that in recent times, there has been a
growing number of visitors from Uzbekistan coming to Azerbaijan for
work, tourism—especially health tourism—and business purposes. The
launch of these new flights will further simplify travel and lead
to more visits,” he pointed out.
The expert also emphasized that many people from Azerbaijan are
traveling to Uzbekistan for both tourism and business.
“This is because Uzbekistan’s recent policies, openness to
investment, and new regulations in the tourism sector have
increased interest in the country.
With a population of over 30 million and improving transport
links between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, it’s reasonable to expect
that the number of Uzbek tourists visiting Azerbaijan will grow.
One of the key factors in tourism is the accessibility and
convenience of the destination.
Considering the historical and cultural ties between the two
countries, increasing the availability of such flights will have a
direct impact on the number of visits.
Overall, we have been witnessing the development of cultural
relations among Central Asian countries in recent years. Especially
with Turkic states, these ties are strengthening steadily. As an
example of these growing relations, we can highlight the increase
in the number of tourists from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan. Over
86,000 Kazakh tourists visited our country last year.
The establishment of direct flights plays a vital role in the
further development of these connections,” Ashurov concluded.
Chairman of the Executive Board at the DAIR Hotels & Restaurants
Association and Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Ecotourism
Association Samir Dubendi stressed that Uzbekistan is one of
Azerbaijan’s target countries for inbound tourism.
He pointed out that based on recent statistics, 1.5 million
Uzbek citizens traveled abroad in the first quarter of 2025.
“Over the course of the year, this figure reaches around 4.5–5
million people.
The number of Uzbek tourists visiting Azerbaijan—which was
around 40,000 in previous years—can be doubled this year.
Uzbekistan also plays an important role in the ‘Great Silk Road’
project. Through this country, we can more efficiently access other
Central Asian nations and work toward developing a unified tourism
corridor among Turkic countries,” Dubendi added.
Thus, the launch of Baku-Tashkent flights can further strengthen
the existing cooperation opportunities between Azerbaijan and
Uzbekistan, especially in the transport and tourism sectors.
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