YEREVAN. – Even though Armenia is a popular tourist destination, its tour packages are still more expensive than those for the other regional tourism centers, Noyan Tour tourism agency’s assistant manager Sophie Sargsyan stated during a press conference on Monday. 

As per the businesswoman, the ski season is beginning and numerous tourists, and primarily from Russia, are arriving in Armenia for this reason. But a one-week tour package for two costs US$ 1,000, in the case when this is close to $600 in Georgia. The Turkish offers are cheaper, too.  According to Sargsyan, the hotel and food costs are the main reason for this expensiveness. 

In his turn, Rumea Company’s President Ruben Grigoryan noted that the mentality likewise hinders tourism development. “We like saying we are a hospitable nation, but the number-one problem is education,” he said. The other obstacle, as maintained by Grigoryan, is the insufficient infrastructures. They prefer building 4-5-star expensive hotels, in the case when the tourists prefer simple and affordable hotel rooms. There is also a lack of restrooms on the roads, and therefore, in Grigoryan’s view, the state must demand from the gas stations to install restrooms.       

But according to Ruben Grigoryan, despite the obstacles, tourism is becoming more active in Armenia. In the case when the tourism season used to end in October, in the previous years, the hotels are still full as of this November.