YEREVAN. – Today the task is to prevent the collapse of the tourism sector of Armenia, and for that, comprehensive tourism development programs need to be implemented. Mekhak Apresyan, President of the Armenian Tourism Federation, said this during a press conference on Wednesday.

According to him, the work of hotels and tour operators has simply stopped in Armenia. "Of course, government assistance programs have helped to preserve jobs in some way, but it was important to define them, taking into account the peculiarities of the sector. (…) in the implementation of programs, it is very important to take into account the opinion of the private sector. (…). It is impossible to ensure double-digit economic growth (…) without tourism," he said.

The expert stressed the importance of developing a tourism development concept by 2024. "The peculiarities of the development of tourism in Karabakh in the new conditions must be taken into account here as well. The unblocking of transport communications in the region must correspond to the interests of the development of our tourism. In addition, it is important to actively fund tourism marketing (…). Political stability in the region is very important. In order to avoid the risk of appearing on the list of countries undesirable for visits, the world must be made to understand that the country is safe for tourists," Apresyan concluded.