Turkic states forge Eurasian tourism axis Caliber.Az review

In recent years, Azerbaijan and its partners in the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) have been jointly developing the region’s recreational potential, promoting the strengthening of intercultural dialogue. To this end, the Turkic countries are increasing the frequency and geographical reach of air routes, digitising tourism services, developing new joint products, and so on. Another step in this direction was the holding of the 10th meeting of the Ministers in Charge of Tourism of the OTS countries and the 20th meeting of the relevant working group on July 8–9 in Ankara, in which the Azerbaijani delegation also participated.

In a relatively short period, the member countries of the Organisation of Turkic States have succeeded in launching sustainable and viable integration mechanisms in the economic sphere, outlining the contours of the Turkic world as a new regional reality. This cooperation covers not only traditional trade-economic and transport partnerships but also sees active development of cooperation in the tourism sector. In particular, over the past few years, the OTS countries have held a dozen meetings of tourism ministers, with even greater activity carried out within the organisation’s special working group.

The main focus of the member states is on expanding the geography of air transportation between OTS countries, attracting investments to develop recreational infrastructure among Turkic countries, including ongoing negotiations on joint projects in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation.

Proposals are also being considered for the joint development of tourism products within the Turkic states: these involve the development of new destinations — pilgrimage, ecological, ethnocultural, historical, and other tourist directions — which contribute to a broader unveiling of the intangible heritage of the Turkic peoples across the vast Eurasian region.

The member countries of the organisation are working to increase the frequency of flights, simplify visa and other cross-border procedures for air travel, and jointly develop digital solutions that make it easier for travel agencies and hotels to operate across the region.

In recent years, Azerbaijani authorities—particularly the State Tourism Agency (STA) and the Tourism Bureau—have focused heavily on promoting domestic tourism products at specialised exhibitions and forums, as well as expanding tourism marketing efforts in Central Asia and Türkiye. These initiatives have produced positive results. Thanks to increased flight connections and a broader network of routes to Azerbaijan, the country has seen a significant rise in visitors from Central Asian countries.

Between January and May 2025, Azerbaijan welcomed 73,774 tourists from Central Asia, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Visitors from Kazakhstan accounted for nearly half of this number, with over 35,000 arrivals—a 20% year-on-year increase. Uzbekistan contributed 18,205 tourists (+9% growth), while Kyrgyzstan sent 4,056 visitors, a remarkable 40% rise from the first five months of the previous year. The number of tourists from brotherly Türkiye remains strong, with 41,299 Turkish visitors arriving in Azerbaijan during the same period, representing a 10% increase year on year.

The effectiveness of efforts to integrate the tourism markets of the OTS countries and the upcoming work in this direction were discussed during the recent 10th meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of the OTS countries and the 20th meeting of the relevant working group held in Ankara.

At the meeting, an initiative was announced to create a “Unified Museum Card” for the member countries of the organisation, and a proposal to implement the project based on concepts presented by its participants was discussed.

The main outcome of the Ankara meeting was the signing ceremony of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Tourism” between the member states of the OTS.

Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in his speech, reminded that his country ranks fourth in the world in inbound tourism — in 2024, Türkiye was visited by 62.4 million foreign guests.

“The Organisation of Turkic States provides an important platform for dialogue among our countries. It is necessary to unlock the potential of cooperation, including in the field of tourism,” Ersoy noted. “Just in the first five months of 2025, Türkiye was visited by 317,000 citizens of Azerbaijan, 203,000 tourists from Kazakhstan, 79,000 guests from Kyrgyzstan, 215,000 citizens of Uzbekistan, 70,000 citizens of Turkmenistan, as well as 58,000 tourists from Hungary.”

The Minister welcomed the OTS initiative to select Ankara as the “Tourism Capital of the Turkic World 2026” and emphasised that tourism development not only contributes to economic growth but also serves as a factor in strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties among the Turkic states.

In turn, during the meeting, the Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, Fuad Naghiyev, spoke about the intensive steps being taken to strengthen cooperation with the Organisation of Turkic States in the field of tourism, as well as about the meetings, conferences, and discussions organised by Azerbaijan. He emphasised that relations between the OTS member states and Azerbaijan have expanded even further in recent years, including thanks to the growth of tourist traffic between the Turkic countries. Statistical figures in the tourism sector were presented, along with video material showcasing the tourist potential of the country.

Notably, alongside the Turkish recreational market, Azerbaijan is also actively developing tourism relations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The opening of new air routes contributes to the growth of tourism between these countries, facilitating travel for citizens, which will have a positive impact on their economies.

The need to expand tourist flows between these countries was recently highlighted by Sherzod Sultanov, a marketing specialist at Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Tourism.

“Uzbekistan is actively developing cooperation with Turkic-speaking countries in the field of tourism, with particular attention to strengthening ties with Azerbaijan, which shares a rich history and cultural heritage with Uzbekistan. Last year, we held large-scale events to promote our tourism potential worldwide, and representatives of Azerbaijani media actively participated in this work,” Sultanov emphasised.

In June, the adviser to the Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, Kanan Guluzade, announced the implementation of a new Azerbaijani-Uzbek tourism project: “We will carry out a joint marketing campaign in Eastern and Central European countries to encourage tourists from these regions to travel to Uzbekistan via Baku and return along the same route. Depending on the effectiveness of this project, it is expected that other Central Asian countries will also join.” He also recalled that the Turkic states are developing joint tours within the framework of the Great Silk Road; in particular, the specialised agencies of the OTS countries are working on specific routes and service packages aimed at creating new tourism products.

It is worth recalling here that the OTS countries are steadily expanding cooperation on certain priority destinations by creating specialised bodies. For example, in September last year, a meeting of representatives of winter tourism centres took place in Istanbul — the Turkic states agreed to establish the OTS Ski Resorts Union for exchanging best practices, developing professional training programs, jointly formulating marketing strategies, organising events, and creating unified ski passes. In April of this year, the health ministers of the Turkic countries agreed in Astana to jointly develop medical and balneological tourism.