Year of Chinese Tourism pays off: arrivals from China to Azerbaijan up 5% in August

Arrivals from China to Azerbaijan rose by 5% in August 2026. Teymur Suleymanzade, deputy chairman of the board of the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, announced the figure at an event in Baku marking twenty years since China Southern Airlines opened its Baku office.

The Year of Chinese Tourism and the Beijing office

According to Suleymanzade, tourism cooperation between the two countries has entered a new phase. 2026 has been declared the Year of Chinese Tourism in Azerbaijan, and in May the Tourism Bureau opened its own representation in Beijing. The Beijing office now handles the Chinese market directly, introducing tour operators and media to routes across the country and promoting Azerbaijani destinations to Chinese audiences. Baku treats the 5% rise in August as the first measurable result of that work.

What visa-free travel changed

The removal of visas is named as the main driver. The agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports was signed in Beijing on 23 April 2025 and entered into force on 16 July of the same year. Citizens of both countries may stay without a visa for up to 30 days per trip, and no more than 90 days in total within any 180-day period.

Zhang Yang, general manager of the Baku office of China Southern Airlines, said the policy has revived the tourism and business sectors and given a strong push to aviation. In his assessment, simpler formalities lowered the threshold for ordinary travellers: more Azerbaijani residents now go to China to study, work and holiday, while more Chinese citizens come to Baku.

Betting on air links

China Southern Airlines has been present in Baku for twenty years. The carrier says it intends to expand its route network, improve flight reliability and ground handling, develop connecting products, and work more closely with Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The logic is straightforward: visa-free travel creates demand, but demand can only be converted into arrivals if there are enough seats on the route.

What this means for travellers

First, and most practical: the visa waiver runs both ways. An Azerbaijani ordinary passport allows visa-free entry to China for up to 30 days. Anyone flying to China several times a year on business should keep the cumulative limit in mind, since 90 days out of any 180 is easier to exhaust than it looks.

Second, the Chinese market is slowly reshaping the high season in Baku. Outbound travel from China peaks during the Golden Week in early October and over the summer school holidays. If your trip to Azerbaijan falls in those weeks, book the capital early. Gabala, Sheki, Guba and Lankaran stay noticeably freer and cheaper over the same period.

Third, a growing Chinese market lifts service standards. Hotels and tour companies in Baku are hiring Chinese-speaking guides, translating menus and signage, and adding Chinese payment services. For travellers from anywhere else this is an indirect gain, because competition for a demanding customer raises the general level.

Fourth, worth remembering at the planning stage: direct flights between Azerbaijan and China are few, and most itineraries are built on connections. Compare options through several hubs and leave a comfortable buffer at the transfer point, especially if you continue on to the regions of either country.

Photo: Anar Aliyev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0