“The Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex has become one of the tourism facilities and products most frequently visited by tourists in recent years. Thousands of tourists visit the mud volcanoes each year, where they learn about the facilities created by our state and the mud volcanoes, which are part of Azerbaijan’s natural heritage.”
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Murad Aghabayli, chairman of the Management Board of the State Tourism Agency’s Reserve Management Center, made the remarks to journalists during a media tour of the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex.
He said the complex includes a tourism information center, venues hosting master classes, a salt workshop, an art workshop, an exhibition hall displaying various mineral waters, a natural history exhibition hall and other visitor facilities:
“The facilities created here allow us to see the mud volcanoes more closely and learn about them without harming nature or touching the volcanoes. Overall, more than 432,000 people purchased tickets to visit reserves and tourism facilities under the State Tourism Agency during the first eight months of this year. More than 100,000 people visited free of charge. Foreign tourists accounted for 71% of ticketed visitors, which is a fairly high figure. For example, at the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex, foreigners make up approximately 93%-94% of visitors. At the Shaki Yukhari Bash Reserve, meanwhile, 50% of visitors are foreigners and 50% are domestic tourists.”
According to Murad Aghabayli, the agency continues to develop new tourism products and carry out infrastructure projects in the regions and in Baku:
“For example, work is currently under way in several areas in Lahij. The development of several tourism products in Basgal is nearing completion. Several facilities — including a network of workshops and a local history museum — have already been opened for tourists at the Shaki Yukhari Bash Reserve. Work is also continuing in the territories liberated from occupation. Infrastructure works are currently being carried out in Sugovushan, while the construction of tourism infrastructure around Shahbulag Castle is nearing completion.”
Mud volcanoes are among Azerbaijan’s distinctive natural attractions, and the country is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of these geological formations. Organized tourism facilities enable visitors to observe the landscape while helping protect the surrounding environment.
