On June 11, Fuad Nagiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency, and Haim Katz, the Minister of Tourism of the State of Israel, engaged in discussions concerning the current status of tourism relations between the two countries and explored future prospects.

The meeting encompassed a wide range of topics, including the activities of the tourism representative office of the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau in Tel Aviv, plans for increasing the number of direct flights, initiatives related to student exchange programs with Israeli universities, collaborative efforts to create joint tourism products, the exchange of mutual experiences, and fostering cooperation in both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to customer) formats. Additionally, ideas were exchanged regarding organizing visits by media representatives to Baku.

During the meeting, a proposal was put forward to invite a delegation of Israeli companies to Azerbaijan for a familiarization tour, aimed at attracting investments to the tourism sector in areas liberated from occupation.

As part of this visit, an event dedicated to Azerbaijani tourism was organized in Tel Aviv, with the support of the State Tourism Agency, Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, and Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) CJSC.

The event saw the participation of around 70 tourism companies and media representatives from Israel, as well as members of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association (AHA) and the Azerbaijan Tourism Agencies Association (ATAA).

The purpose of this event was to present Azerbaijan's tourism potential and AZAL's international flight offerings, fostering connections between local Azerbaijani tourism companies and hotels with their Israeli counterparts.

In his speech, Chairman Fuad Naghiyev emphasized the significance of such events as platforms for networking and strengthening business ties, underscoring the ever-evolving friendly relations between the two nations. He reiterated the commitment to expanding partnership relations in the tourism sector with Israel, one of the primary target markets, and the goal of supporting new collaborative initiatives while mutually promoting the tourism potential of both Azerbaijan and Israel.

Ambassador Mukhtar Mammadov highlighted that discussions were held between the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, and President Ilham Aliyev during the latter's official visit to Azerbaijan, with a focus on increasing mutual tourist flows. He expressed confidence that successful cooperation relations have been established between the two states across various fields, and the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel will further deepen and develop tourism relations.

Chingiz Mursalov, AZAL's Sales and Partnership Director, shared that the number of AZAL flights to Tel Aviv will increase starting from June 28. He also noted the the aim of acquisition of new aircraft is to enhance flight convenience and provide high-quality services to passengers.

These steps are taken with the goal of increasing tourism between the two countries, enabling guests to experience the unique culture, history, and attractions of both nations.

The event featured a presentation on Azerbaijan's tourism offerings and AZAL's flight destinations, as well as a photo exhibition titled "Azerbaijan through the Eyes of Israeli Photographers."

It is noteworthy that in 2022, the number of visitors from Israel to Azerbaijan surged fourfold compared to the previous year, reaching 23,935 individuals. In the first five months of 2023, the number of Israeli citizens who visited Azerbaijan increased by 70% compared to the same period last year, totaling 8,611 visitors.

Currently, there are seven direct flights from Tel Aviv to Baku each week.