FOREIGN TOURISTS PAY TEN TIMES MORE TO SEE GARNI
Grisha Balasanyan

2009/ 10/05 | 12:27

Society

I recently visited the Garni temple and witnessed an argument between
a French tourist and a service employee at the entrance to the site.

The French tourist was up in arms over the fact that he had been
charged 1,000 AMD as an entrance fee; 10 times more than his Armenian
friend. The employee was trying to explain that he didn’t make the
rules and that the disgruntled tourist should take up the matter with
the proper authorities.

Given that the government has placed high hopes on the tourism sector
to boost the sagging economy of the country, we took the matter to
Mekhak Apresyan, Head of the Division of Tourism and Regional Economic
Development at the Ministry of the Economy, for clarification.

"The pricing policy makes sense. Many citizens have complained
and asked us why their kids have to pay so much to visit Armenian
cultural monuments. It has the opposite effect with tourists who
complain that it’s discrimination. The policy must be viewed as a
discount to citizens; not the other way round," Mr. Apresyan argued.

He added that the matter was being discussed by a number of government
departments in order to arrive at a solution agreeable to all
concerned. "We are a hospitable people and would never dare sow
discrimination to anyone," he claimed.