This study examines the contribution of tourism to sustainable regional development in Azerbaijan by integrating survey-monitoring results with official statistical indicators. Tourism demand, recreational preferences, overnight stays, accommodation activity, and regional tourism dynamics were analyzed using comparative statistical methods, SPSS, Chi-Square testing, correlation, and regression analysis. The analysis covers the principal tourism-oriented economic regions of Azerbaijan and evaluates differences in demand for nature-based recreation, wellness, ecotourism, outdoor activities, and cultural heritage tourism. The results indicate particularly strong demand for nature-based recreation and demonstrate substantial regional differences in tourism activity. Guba-Khachmaz recorded the highest growth in overnight stays, while Shaki-Zagatala and Ganja-Dashkasan also showed significant positive dynamics. Regression models produced high goodness-of-fit values across the analyzed regions (R² = 0.964–0.990; p < 0.05), supporting a positive relationship between tourism activity and regional economic development. The findings also show that nature-based recreation, ecotourism, wellness, and outdoor tourism have considerable potential to generate additional regional value. Sustainable tourism policies should therefore combine destination development, local-resource use, infrastructure improvement, community participation, and diversified tourism products to strengthen regional economic resilience.

Keywords: regional tourism, tourism demand, ecotourism, cultural tourism, outdoor tourism, SPSS and Chi-Square analysis, regression analysis

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