Tourism-related issues were high on the agenda of consultations conveneted by President Serzh Sargsyan in the city of Jermuk.

“Despite the positive results registered in the field of tourism, there is still a huge potential,” Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting with representatives of the relevant state agencies.

He noted that the development of tourism is an “interrelated chain of economic development, where all links should be strong and active to make it possible to achieve a final result.”

“We have to be aware that the field can only develop thanks to combined efforts of all of us,” the President added.

Speaking about the choice of the venue of the consultation, President Sargsyan said “Vayots Dzor province is where the most significant southern route passes. It take to spiritual-cultural centers like the Noravank Complex, the Areni caves, Tatev Monastery, Zorats Karer and, of course, to the heroic land of Artsakh.”

According to Serzh Sargsyan, “this southern route has the potential of becoming a component of more large-scale regional tourism packages involving Armenia, Iran and Georgia.”

President Sargsyan recalled Pope Francis’ visit to Armenia, which was held under the slogan “Pilgrimage to the first Christian nation.” The Pontiff publicly called it a “pilgrimage to Armenia, which, according to President Sargsyan, was a positive message that should be built upon.

Referring to other examples, the President pointed to the recovery of the oldest shoe and the most ancient vinery found in Armenia and reminded that the events were widely covered by world media.

Upon the conclusion of the meeting, President Sargsyan instructed to set up a tourism council involving representatives of the private sector, international organizations, local self-government bodies and the Armenian Apostolic Church with a view of coordinating the work of the tourism-related state bodies and territorial development agencies.