Azerbaijan becomes one of world's hottest tourist destinations

WTTC research director Rochelle Turner said that Azerbaijan is one of world's hottest tourist destinations

She stressed that the country brought in nearly 4.6 billion manat ($2.7 billion) in foreign tourist spending, putting it roughly on a par with Cypus.

"The depreciation of the local currency in 2015 and 2016 have vastly improved the price competitiveness of Azerbaijan as a tourism destination," CNN Money cited Turner as saying..

She noted that Azerbaijan has prioritized tourism as it tries to reduce its dependence on oil. WTTC said this led the country to introduce new investments in infrastructure and improve its visitor visa system.