THE EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT SITUATION OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN AZERBAIJAN: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Mankind has searched for answers to the questions such as “who I am, how I was created, and how the World was created" since he existed and made trips through the destination that would take him to his answers. Faith-based travels to sacred places has emerged in the context of priority travel motivation since the earliest periods of history and these travels still remain important today. Azerbaijan is a destination that has not had too long tourism history, with coastal-sea tourism and spa tourism being widely used but also having various cultural values. In this research, it is aimed to determine whether Azerbaijan has sufficient tourism potential to provide international tourism mobility by evaluating the potential of religious tourism and its marketing potential. Qualitative research approach was done in the research. The interviews it was performed with tourism stakeholders in the region. Suggestions will be presented in context of the religious tourism marketing in Azerbaijan according to the results