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- Global travel trends are shifting toward wellness, authenticity, and purpose, according to Mastercard’s Travel Trends 2025 report — aligning closely with Azerbaijan’s tourism offerings.
- Mastercard supports smarter, more connected travel by expanding digital infrastructure, empowering SMEs, and providing actionable insights with global and local travel research and spending analysis.
Mastercard’s newly released Travel Trends 2025 report highlights a shift in global travel behavior. Today’s travelers are prioritizing purpose-driven experiences — including wellness, nature-based escapes, and cultural engagement — over traditional sightseeing. This trend is especially relevant across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA), where destinations offering depth and authenticity are gaining traction.
Azerbaijan’s tourism landscape reflects these preferences. The country’s mountain resorts, historical cities, and expanding gastronomic scene appeal to travelers seeking meaningful, local experiences. Its developing wellness infrastructure also positions it to benefit from the rising demand for restorative travel.
Enabling Smarter, More Connected Travel
Mastercard supports the sustainable growth of Azerbaijan’s tourism sector through a combination of digital infrastructure, business empowerment, and data-driven insights.
- Integration of digital payment solutions across hotels, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment venues to ensure a seamless and secure visitor experience.
- Creating unforgettable memories with Priceless Experiences at Port Baku Walk.
- Empowering tourism-related SMEs with tools and technologies to better serve international travelers and participate in the growing digital economy by providing Mastercard research data.
- Facilitating cross-border transactions through mobile-friendly solutions that make spending easier for both inbound and outbound tourists
- Providing local market insights to guide smarter decision-making across the public and private sectors
New Insights: Where Tourists Come From, Where Azerbaijanis Go, and What They Spend On
An analysis of Azerbaijan’s cross-border spending for the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025 reveals several noteworthy patterns:
- Outgoing Spending by Azerbaijani Travelers
- Türkiye remains the top destination for Azerbaijani spenders, with Istanbul and Dubai leading as the most visited cities. Between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, spending in Istanbul declined by approximately 20%, while spending in Dubai grew by more than 30% — indicating a shift in traveler preferences and seasonal demand.
- Inbound Spending by International Visitors
- Türkiye continues to lead as the top source country for inbound spending in Azerbaijan. In the second half of 2025, spending by Turkish visitors rose by nearly 20%. Other key inbound markets include the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia — with Kazakhstan recording the highest average ticket size in H1 2025.
- Tourist Spending by Sector in Azerbaijan
- Accommodation remains the leading sector for tourist spending, with an average ticket size of €133. However, by Q1 2025, this category experienced a revenue decline of roughly 15%. In contrast, the health and cosmetics sector saw the strongest growth in spending volume — increasing by around 10%.
Next Steps
Azerbaijan continues to diversify its source markets and enhance its positioning in new regions, including Asia and the Middle East. Mastercard remains committed to supporting this growth through strategic partnerships, consumer insights, and digital technologies that help align local offerings with global traveler expectations.
To access Mastercard’s full Travel Trends 2025 report, visit:
Travel Trends 2025: Purpose-Driven Journeys | Mastercard Data & Services
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
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