OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER TO CONTRIBUTE TO REGIONAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

ArmInfo
2009-11-09 14:00:00

ArmInfo. Opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will contribute to
the regional tourism development, Head of the Tourism Department of
Armenia’s Ministry of Economy Mekhak Apresyan told journalists today.

He thinks that the regional tour packages may be of high demand with
the border opening, since the tourists from far countries prefer to
visit several countries at once when visiting one region. ‘Opening
of the border contributes to both economic development in general
and development of tourism in particular’, M. Apresyan emphasized.

Moreover, he said that not only the internal tourism but also the
external one will win from the border opening. "I do not consider
development of the external tourism a negative phenomenon, especially
as the inflow of tourists to Armenia much exceeds the outflow",
he said.

According to the data of the National Statisitcal Service of Armenia,
422807 tourists visited Armenia in Jan-Sep, 2009, that exceeds
the indicator of the similar period, 2008 by 5,8%. Total of 396560
people left Armenia as tourists over the same period, that exceeds
the indicator of Jan-Sep, 2008, by 1,2%.