GOVERNMENT REPORTS CONTINUED GROWTH IN TOURISM
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug. 15, 2006

Armenia’s tourism industry continued its steady growth in the first
half of this year, with the number of foreign visitors rising by 11.6
percent to over 122,500, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Mekhak Apresian, head of the tourism department at the Ministry of
Trade and Economic Development, told the Regnum news agency that the
figure is expected to total at least 350,000 by the end of the year.

The peak period of travel to Armenia usually starts in August and
ends in October.

According to official statistics, the country already had a record-high
318,000 tourists last year. Most of them are believed to be ethnic
Armenians from Europe and the United States. Government officials and
industry executives in Yerevan say the share of non-Armenian visitors
has been steadily growing in recent years.

The reported further growth of the tourism sector is supported by
anecdotal evidence, with virtually all hotels in central Yerevan
fully booked at the moment. Flying there is also not an easy task
despite the increased frequency of flights to the Armenian capital
carried out by several major European airlines.

President Robert Kocharian reiterated last week that the sector’s
development is a top economic priority for the Armenian government.

Kocharian said the country should be able to attract 500,000 tourists a
year in the near future. He also promised more government investments
in the still underdeveloped tourism infrastructure in regions outside
Yerevan.

Local travel agencies say the sector’s more rapid expansion is also
hampered by the relatively high cost of travel and accommodation
in Armenia. Ara Petrosian, deputy minister of trade and economic
development, estimated earlier this year that the average foreigner
has to spend approximately $1,000 on a one-week stay in the country.