2024-08-27 18:43:34
The tourism season is starting in Armenia, in terms of time. However, under the conditions of the coronavirus, post-war and border tensions, is the topic of tourism relevant and should we have expectations from the sector?
Mekhak Apresyan, the president of the “Armenian Federation of Tourism”, is convinced that this sector is always up-to-date.
In a conversation with Aysor.am, he noted that according to the indicators of the first quarter of this year, although we will not record that tourism has been revalued, in any case, the data indicate the awakening of the sector in Armenia.
“According to the indicators of the first quarter of this year, there were about 86 thousand inbound tourist visits. The index in 2020 compared to the same period, it is more than 70 percent less, but it is higher than the data of the second, third, and fourth quarters of the previous year. There is some revitalization. In that number, there are mostly visits from Russia, Georgia, Iran, the USA, Ukraine,” said the president of the “Armenian Federation of Tourism”.
Compared to 2019, in 2020, tourism decreased by around 80 percent. If in 2019 We had 1.9 million inbound tourist visits, then in 2020 the index was only 375 thousand. According to the minimum calculations, we had an income shortfall of around 1.5 billion dollars.
Apresyan emphasized that there are few tourists in Artsakh after the war. He believes that it is necessary to present to the world through all diplomatic channels that Armenia is safe and that there are already tourists here. But on the other hand, he also notes that, for example, the appeals of the US and Polish embassies to their citizens will, in any case, have a negative impact.
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