BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan received 1.586 million foreign citizens and stateless people in the first eight months of 2026, down 7.8% from a year earlier, with arrivals from Gulf countries falling by one-third.
New data from the State Statistical Committee, published by Report, showed that visitors arrived from 191 countries.
Russia remained the largest source market, accounting for 27.9% of all arrivals. Turkey followed with 19.4%, Iran with 7.8%, Georgia with 4.8%, Kazakhstan with 4.6%, Israel with 3.5%, Pakistan with 3.4% and Uzbekistan with 3.2%.
European Arrivals Rise as Gulf Market Contracts
Arrivals from European Union countries increased 6.6% to 77,800 people. Visitors from Commonwealth of Independent States countries rose 3.1% to 619,500.
At the same time, the number of visitors from Gulf countries fell 33.3% to 192,000. Arrivals from all other countries declined 8.2% to 696,700.
Most foreign visitors, 73.1%, arrived by air. Road and rail crossings accounted for 25.5%, while sea transport accounted for 1.4%.
Azerbaijanis Also Made Fewer Trips Abroad
The number of trips abroad by Azerbaijani citizens declined 2.4% to 1.3845 million, according to separate figures published by APA.
Turkey received 43.9% of departing Azerbaijani travelers, followed by Russia at 14.8%, Georgia at 12.8% and Iran at 5.3%. Trips to Iran fell 41.2%, while travel to Georgia increased 13.6%.
The statistics document a shift in travel patterns but do not identify the reasons for the decline. For the tourism industry, the sharp fall in arrivals from Gulf countries stands out because the region has been an important visitor market.