A new procedure for the certification and retraining of guides and tour guides will come into effect in Armenia starting from September 1. Anahit Mkrtchyan, head of the Tourism Policy Department of the Tourism Committee of Armenia, announced this at a press conference Tuesday.

Mkrtchyan added that all guides and tour guides in Armenia must undergo retraining every three years. At the same time, she clarified that voluntary certification is in place for hotel service providers in the country.

The Armenian official recalled that there is already a requirement in place, according to which tour operators and travel agencies in Armenia are obliged to sign a contract with a tourist before providing the service. Otherwise, their activities may be terminated.

"In the future, rating systems will operate for tourism service providers [in Armenia]," added Anahit Mkrtchyan.