Baku is in the top five of the most popular tourist destinations among Moscow citizens for the May holidays.
The RoomGuru.ru rating is based on data of hotel and apartment bookings from April 29 to May 10 of this year.
According to the service, residents of Moscow book accommodation in Baku for an average of 3.5 nights, spending $90 per day.
Tbilisi and Minsk were also included in the top five tourist destinations for the May holidays.
The executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Baku and Tbilisi are attractive for Muscovites due to "the excellent conditions offered for the May holidays by Azerbaijan and Georgia."
"It's still cold to go to a sea, but excursion tourism in these countries is wonderful, in May there everything is already blossoming, and most importantly it's warm there. There is also an opportunity to take a trip for a short May weekend. The reduced cost of transportation, when booking in advance, makes rest in Baku and Tbilisi relatively inexpensive," she explained.
Maya Lomidze also drew attention to an opportunity for a greater popularization of the two Caucasian capitals on the Russian market. "Azerbaijan and Georgia are actively developing inbound tourism, creating comfortable conditions for tourists. And the potential for this is far from being exhausted," the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia believes.
Senior Lecturer of the Department of Management and Business at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of RANEPA, Yevgeny Itsakov, called the rise in popularity of the Caucasian direction the renaissance of a tourist interest towards Azerbaijan and Georgia. "Caucasus has a unique culture, unlike any that we have in most of Russia, nor Europe, nor Asia," he stressed.
"In addition, now it is inexpensive, there are many democratic special offers from airlines. Georgia and Azerbaijan really are in great demand due to its identity, authentic beauty and fairly low prices. These three factors helped to make Baku and Tbilisi very a popular destinations for outbound tourism," Yevgeny Itsakov said.
"Our people have long been sympathetic to each other. In Tbilisi, many speak in Russian and in any case there is a desire to find a common language. The Azeris are also very positive and friendly to the Russians. In Europe, the locals are annoyed by tourists as there are too many of them, and in the post-Soviet space tourists are perceived as a compliment," the senior lecturer of the Department of Management and Business at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of RANEPA concluded.
