YEREVAN. – The prices of tour packages to Armenia have soared by 10-20 percent, Armenian Association of Travel Agents (AATA) Deputy Chairman Yeghishe Tanashyan stated during a press conference on Wednesday.  

In his words, the reason for this increase is the rise in the fees the country’s food service facilities charge and this, in its turn, is because now they likewise pay value added tax.      

In the outcome, as per Tanashyan, the tour packages to Armenia have become less competitive as compared to other countries in the region.

Nonetheless, according to the AATA official, the demand for domestic tourism is greater than its offer, which likewise contributed to some increase in hotel accommodation prices in Armenia.    

The country needs new high-end hotels, since the Armenian tourism agencies are attracting new, more solvent markets.