Booking and GetYourGuide are promoting tourism packages to occupied Artsakh, including Shushi and Stepanakert, using the Azerbaijani names “Shusha” and “Khankendi” for the Armenian cities.
Among the attractions being promoted is the Upper Govhar Agha Mosque in Shushi, whose major restoration was completed in 2019 with support from Armenian businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan and the IDeA Foundation.
The contrast is stark: Azerbaijan is now marketing as a tourist attraction a landmark restored with Vardanyan’s support while holding Vardanyan himself hostage in Baku.
Vardanyan was detained by Azerbaijani authorities in September 2023 as he attempted to leave Artsakh following Azerbaijan’s military assault and the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population. He remains an Armenian hostage in Azerbaijan, facing charges denounced as fabricated and politically motivated.
The tourism packages are part of Azerbaijan’s broader effort to rebrand occupied Artsakh after forcibly removing its indigenous Armenian population, replacing Armenian place names and promoting cities emptied of their Armenian residents while erasing the Armenian history and identity that shaped them.
Marriott Bonvoy previously promoted a similar tourism offer. Following a campaign by Armenian organizations, including Armenian National Committee groups, Marriott reportedly withdrew the package and removed the related promotion from its website.
