In the last 6 months Armenia has received more than 280 thousand
tourists, which means the inbound flow increased by 5%. At the same time the
outbound tourist flow increased by 9% compared to last year’s numbers,
amounting to a total of 302 thousand people. According to the National
Statistics Service, the majority of tourists are from Russia. Data
from 2011 shows that 16% of the inbound tourist flow consisted of Russian
visitors. Tour operators working on the Armenian destination agree that the
country is becoming more popular, but they try to evade talking about real
numbers.
“This year Armenia is in demand. That is
mostly thanks to Aeroflot and their discounts for this destination. Usually the
return ticket costs about 15-20 thousand roubles (470-630 USD), but during the
sale you could travel to Yerevan
and back for 10 thousand (315 USD)! Many Russian tourists used this
opportunity. City hotels were packed during May and June holidays. And we are
seeing the same dynamic in August”, - says Andrey Zharkov, head of
Zharkov-tour.
Mr. Zharkov pointed out the main advantages of Armenia
as a destination: Christian architecture, ski-resorts and some unique
historical landmarks. According to him, Russian tourists prefer a thorough
acquaintance with the country. 10 day tours which include many excursions and a
short stay on Lake
Sevan are most popular at
the moment. Russian tourists prefer 4-5 star hotels, when it comes to
accommodation. “There are not many decent hotels in Armenia, so during high season,
when the tourists are flowing in, one needs some luck to book a good room”, -
says Andrey Zharkov. He also notes that the tourist flow is uneven throughout
the year. In the middle of the summer there are not many visitors due to the
weather being way too hot.
“We’ve been selling tours to Armenia since
2010. And in that time the demand for this destination grew by 15%, yet the
annual tourist flow still amounts to only dozens of people. You can hardly call
that a high level of interest towards the country”, - says head of the
destination in Astravel, Dina Terentyeva. The reasons for this situation are
simple – high prices on airline tickets and the need to have an international
passport, even though Armenia
has a visa-free regime for Russian citizens. Yet the prices in Armenia are
very reasonable and can be considered as an advantage. For instance, you can
get a room (DBL) in a 3 star hotel for only three thousand roubles (95 USD) a
night. Also, the diverse and wonderfully delicious Armenian cuisine can be a
good reason to visit the country. Representatives of Astravel also noted that
most popular packages include excursion tours and spa tours to the Jemruk
resort.
Out of all post-soviet countries, Armenia is
getting the least attention from Russian tourists, thinks Deputy General
Manager of V Mire Fantaziy (In a World of Fantasy), Alla Artemenko. “Many
Russian companies choose Georgia
and Uzbekistan
as a place to hold their corporate events. Yet almost no one considers Armenia as a
possible destination for corporate tourism”, - says Mrs. Artemenko. The reason
for this is in the clients’ tastes and in the lack of advertising, thinks the
company’s representative.
