Compulsory Travel Insurance for Tourists in Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijan Insurers Association (ASA) intends to introduce compulsory insurance of tourists arriving in the country.
At present, this mechanism is actively used in many countries throughout the world, Chairman of the AS, ,Mustafa Abbasbeyli, told Trend.
“Compulsory insurance for tourists arriving in the country is actively used in many countries around the world, particularly in developed countries. We also want to make this segment mandatory. If our proposal is accepted, then the regulation mechanism will be implemented through our embassies and consulates, ASAN Visa centers, as well as checkpoints in the country. Where Azerbaijan has a visa regime with a country, the citizens of this country will have to provide insurance to obtain a visa. In the absence of a visa regime, the availability of insurance will be checked at the border. If a tourist arrives in Azerbaijan with the insurance of his own country, he does not need to additionally purchase another one in Azerbaijan,” he said.
Currently, Azerbaijani insurance companies offer their clients travel insurance on a voluntary basis. Insurance covers only tourists who leave the country, but, unfortunately, not all citizens of Azerbaijan enter into insurance contracts during their trips. According to the data of Azerbaijan’s Financial Markets Supervision Chamber, fees for insurance of tourists amounted to 636,000 Manats ($374), with payments totalling 37,000 Manats ($21.7).
In 2017, about 2.690 million tourists visited Azerbaijan, which is 20% more than the indicator of 2016.
Azerbaijan was most visited by tourists from Russia - 853,082 people (31.6% of the total amount of tourists). The second and third lines of attendance are occupied by citizens of Georgia – 537,000 (19.9%) and Iran – 362,000 people (13.4%).
Turkey is on the fourth line with 301,000 tourists (11.2%), the first five is closed by tourists from the UAE – 102,000 people (3.8%).
In 2017, there was an increase in the tourist flow from Saudi Arabia (4.5 times), Oman (7.4 times), the United Arab Emirates (1.9 times), Iran (1.4 times), and India (2.3 times).
By Shawn Wayne