“Although world tourism registered 3% slump as a result of global economic crisis, the statistics shows that within last 9 months 5.6% increase was recorded in Armenia. Compared to 402.000 tourists in 2008, this year Armenia hosted 422.000 people.

The growth rates will maintain and if we have a 6% upsurge by the year end, this number will reach 600.000,” RA Deputy Minister of Economy Ara Petrosyan stated at the opening ceremony of CTS2009 — International Annual Tourism Fair.

Vice-president of the Armenian Association of Travel Agents (AATA) Yeghishe Tanashyan said over 65 foreign travel agents from Georgia, Greece, Israel and Karabakh take part in the event. According to him, next year the number of participants will increase and most probably Turkey will be among them. “The meetings with Turkish Travel Agencies Union and Chamber of Commerce representatives allow to assume that Turkey will also be involved in 2010 fair,” Tanashyan outlined.