Azernews.Az

By Leman Mammadova

Tourists are getting more impressed by the fascination of Azerbaijan’s nature revived with the arrival of the new season.

The number of tourists visiting the national parks of Azerbaijan has noticeably increased in recent days due to the coming spring-summer season, said Irada Ibrahimova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan.

She noted that as many as 11,131 tourists visited the country’s national parks over the first four months of this year, 9,850 of which were locals and 1,281 were foreign tourists.

"Surely, it will be great if more tourists visit national parks. It is true that it is not always possible during wintertime, but since May we are expecting a significant increase in the number of visitors to the parks, due to the favorable weather and beautiful nature,” she said adding that ecotourism is a new concept for Azerbaijan and great success can be achieved in this area.

Ibrahimova also noted that today there are 110 different tourist routes in the national parks of the country.

Azerbaijan is famous for its national parks, where you can go hiking if you prefer active holidays or have a simple pleasant picnic if you are there just to relax. Azerbaijan's national parks offer you to get exciting impressions, take care of your health, or just relax your body and soul.

National parks are favorable natural areas for the development of ecotourism in the country. As a relatively new phenomenon in global tourism activities, ecotourism is an environmental tourism oriented to nature preservation.

The route of ecotourism, unlike the other types of tourism, is mainly based on nature objects - forests, forest massifs, reserves, sanctuaries and national parks.

Azerbaijan is rich with natural resources, ancient history and magnificent landscapes. The country attracts tourists with its modern architecture, resort areas, national parks, museums, historical monuments.

The country's national parks often become travel destinations for tourists. As many as 79,997 people visited the national parks of Azerbaijan in 2018. Of this amount, 7,478 were foreign guests of the country.

Currently, 10 national parks operate in Azerbaijan. Animals included in the Red Book and plant cover are protected in the national parks.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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