Editing Economy of Azerbaijan (section)

====Tourism====
{{See also|Tourism in Azerbaijan}}
[[File:Ancient Azerbaijan 4.jpg|thumb|[[Petroglyphs]] in [[Gobustan State Reserve|Gobustan]] dating back to 10,000&nbsp;BC indicating a thriving culture. It is a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] considered to be of "outstanding universal value".]]
Tourism is an important part of the economy of Azerbaijan. The country was a well-known tourist spot in the 1980s. However, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]] during the 1988–1994 period, damaged the tourist industry and the image of Azerbaijan as a tourist destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osce.org/baku/27857 |title=Rapid Tourism Assessment for the Azerbaijan Tourism Sector Development Program |website=[[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] |access-date=2013-09-09 }}</ref>

It was not until the 2000s that the tourism industry began to recover, and the country has since experienced a high rate of growth in the number of tourist visits and overnight stays.<ref>[http://www.azadliq.org/content/article/388501.html Azərbaycan Qarabağın turizm imkanlarını təbliğ edir] {{in lang|az}}</ref> In recent years, Azerbaijan has also become a popular destination for religious, spa, and health care tourism.<ref name="Baku Boom Has Yet to Hit Regions">{{cite web|last=Ismayilov |first=Rovshan |title=Azerbaijan: Baku Boom Has Yet to Hit Regions |publisher=EurasiaNet |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav081307.shtml |access-date=12 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819211953/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav081307.shtml |archive-date=19 August 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> During winter, the [[Shahdag Winter Complex]] offers skiing.

The [[government of Azerbaijan]] has set the development of Azerbaijan as an elite tourist destination a top priority.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cree |first1=Richard |title=Azerbaijan on Director magazine |url=http://www.director.co.uk/magazine/2010/7_July_August/azerbaijan_63_11.html |website=director.co.uk |access-date=14 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702121348/http://director.co.uk/MAGAZINE/2010/7_July_August/azerbaijan_63_11.html |archive-date=2 July 2014 }}</ref> It is a national strategy to make tourism a major, if not the single largest, contributor to the Azerbaijani economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourism.az/?menu=1&submenu=12&lang=eng |title=Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan: Goals |publisher=Tourism.az |date=6 February 2004 |access-date=4 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128233315/http://tourism.az/?menu=1&submenu=12&lang=eng |archive-date=28 November 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> These activities are regulated by the [[State Tourism Agency]] and [[the Ministry of Culture]].
The [[List of Formula One Grands Prix|Formula One Grand Prix]] is held in [[Baku]], the capital city, and has been held here for years.