PRIME MINISTER: NEED TO HAVE CHEAP TOURS

ARKA
Sep 29, 2009

YEREVAN, September 29. / ARKA /. It is necessary to organize cheap
and mass travel tours, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said.

"This means that we must assist tour operators so they can build
such cheap travel packages. Without this, we can not develop tourism
in Armenia," Sargsyan said on Monday during the celebration of
International Tourism Day.

According to the head of government, the first selected domestic
tourist destination is Yerevan-Garni (pagan temple of the first
century AC: ARKA).

"This is the most common direction, but it turns out that even this
route does not meet international standards," Sargsyan said.

In this regard, the Prime Minister said that a program of activities,
on which the structure must be based, has been created in this sector,
including maintenance and road safety to meet the international
standards.

"In the future, while achieving success, we can extend this experience
to other routes, including, in the direction of Zangezur, Gyumri,
Vanadzor, thereby increasing the number of standard services in
Armenia", Sargsyan said.

The Ministry of Economy of Armenia forecasts that the number of
tourists visiting Armenia for the period from January to September
2009 will amount to 422,500, which is 5% more compared to the same
period last year.