Travellers mesmerised by the beauty of Azerbaijan can now travel to the popular destination at a moment's notice as the government offers visas in just three hours.

Until recently, Azerbaijan was a stalwart on the 'Hardest visa to get' list. But, this new inclination for Azerbaijan as the hot spot destination has had the Azerbaijani government reconsider their policies on visa application to the state. Now, the whole process of getting a visa to Azerbaijan has been simplified with applicants being able to obtain visas to Azerbaijan within three hours, be it a weekend or a holiday.

The decision comes as a positive gift to the visitors in GCC who love the country for its proximity and wish to visit more often on different purposes beyond its exquisite nature and culture.
“This resolution will increase the tourists flow to the country not only for the beautiful autumn season but also for the rest of the year.” Rashid Al Noori, chairman, Representative Office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan in GCC Chairman said. He noted that the influx of tourists to Azerbaijan increased by 15 -20 per cent this summer, compared to the same period of last year.

“Arab tourists take the first position among travellers visiting Azerbaijan, followed by travellers from Russia. In July, 330,000 people visited the country, and we anticipate that the figure will go up significantly, considering we have direct flights from Kuwait, Qatar and Dubai, and we expect to inaugurate direct flights from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Baku soon.”

Tourism in Azerbaijan is progressing at a great momentum, contributing 4.5 per cent to the national GDP. The country strives to strengthen its tourism share with brand new experiences that include shopping festival, rail tourism and many others.

Just recently, the country launched the “electronic visa”, making the process of obtaining correct entry documents a little cheaper and quicker - in three days. And now, they’ve made it even easier– as visitors will have their e-visas in just three hours.

The application and approval process will be managed online and the visas will be issued after three hours. The fees are substantially lower too and citizens of 93 countries will be able to get the electronic visa for up to 30 days stay in the country.

“This is excellent news for us, because this means that everybody can now plan a weekend getaway to Azerbaijan without uneasiness, or even work out a joint vacation that encompasses Azerbaijan and another nearby destinations adding to the allure of Azerbaijan as a hot spot destination.” Al Noori said. -  TradeArabia News Service