Entered by Landor

What do you think of Azerbaijan? If you’re picturing oil fields, an exSoviet state, or even a recent Eurovision contestant, you’re not alone. The Azerbaijan Tourism Board had a clear challenge: to re-define the identity of a country and double the number of visitors to 5M by 2025. To save it from the cruel preconceptions and chart a new path for its future, with tourism as the main vehicle to achieve this. 

Previously Azerbaijan was ranked as 84th (out of 100) on the list of nation brands, ranked by value, which was a 6% drop since 2017. The team’s objective was to move quickly up the rankings to make tourism a real source of sustainable revenue for Azerbaijan. To do this, they had to immerse themselves first-hand. To get the real experience. Over two weeks, the team explored Azerbaijan, visiting every one of its regions and holding 50 conversations with its residents. A strategy was built based on that first-hand experience, eliminating the distance that all-to-often breeds misunderstanding.