On September 29, 2025, at the initiative of the "Karabakh Regional Tourism Department," an event titled "The Tourism Potential of Karabakh" was held at Karabakh University, dedicated to Tourism Workers' Day. The main goal of the event was to present the tourism potential of Karabakh on site to representatives of Azerbaijani tourism companies (https://karabakh.edu.az/page/64/597).

It should be noted that, starting in 2021, the Azerbaijani side gradually began to include some territories of occupied Artsakh among Azerbaijan's tourist destinations. Tourist visits began to be organized to the city of Shushi, Aghdam, the archaeological site of Tigranakert (presented as "Shahbulag"), and, in minimal numbers, to Jabrayil. The first tourist tours were intended for Azerbaijanis, i.e., they were part of domestic tourism. The trips to Karabakh have an intensely propagandistic character, are conducted with special accompaniment, and almost every visit is presented with a dedicated TV report. The purpose of these reports is to showcase the "liberated homeland," the settlements, their beauty and potential, to emphasize "Armenian vandalism," and to nourish the hope of "return." From 2024 onward, visits to Karabakh have been further facilitated for Azerbaijani citizens; however, on the ground, visits are permitted only to certain settlements. At present, comparatively free visits are allowed to Stepanakert, Shushi, Aghdam, Tigranakert, Askeran, and Berdzor (Lachin).

It is noticeable that Azerbaijanis predominantly visit the mosques of Shushi and the Hunot Gorge. In the city of Shushi, Ghazanchetsots Church is not included in the visiting circuit. In Stepanakert, they see the monument "We Are Our Mountains" as the best-known landmark of occupied Artsakh. In Aghdam, they mainly observe the palace complex attributed to Panah Khan and the khan's mausoleums, while in Tigranakert, they focus chiefly on the Shahbulag fortress and the mosque. There are almost no visits to the Armenian Christian heritage sites of Artsakh. The only exceptions are Gandzasar Monastery and Dadivank. Moreover, in Vank village, the tourist infrastructure that had served visitors before the occupation of Artsakh has been renovated and put back into operation. In Karabakh, tourists can currently stay overnight only in Stepanakert and Shushi, and more recently also in Aghdam.

Foreign tourist groups do not yet visit occupied Artsakh. Free access for foreigners to these territories remains strictly limited. Nevertheless, at international tourism exhibitions, the Azerbaijani side has already begun to advertise tourist trips to Karabakh. The Azerbaijani side primarily presents occupied Artsakh through the city of Shushi, the city's Islamic cultural heritage, and the Hunot Gorge. From the Christian cultural heritage, it mainly promotes Dadivank and Gandzasar Monastery, and even then, as "Albanian–Udi" monuments. It is also evident that Azerbaijan is attempting to appropriate Artsakh's winemaking culture, especially the Khndoghni grape variety, and to incorporate the territory of occupied Artsakh into Azerbaijan's wine tourism map on that basis.

We can state that the Azerbaijani side is actively trying to use tourism as a tool of its cultural propaganda. It is clear that, from the perspective of tourism, the territories, history, and culture of occupied Artsakh will be presented in a completely distorted manner, and that international tourists visiting Artsakh—especially the very first groups—will be instrumentalized for state propaganda purposes.

Over the past two years, Azerbaijan has been striving to present occupied Artsakh as a territory undergoing economic and tourism "revival." In reality, this is clearly aimed at showing both the outside world and its own society that, after war and forced displacement, the area can be turned into a tourist destination. The phrase "tourism potential of Karabakh" is itself revealing, as it shows how Azerbaijani policy seeks to transform Artsakh into a tourism hub and attract as many visitors as possible—especially foreigners—which, in turn, would confer a degree of legitimacy on the occupation.