A visa-free regime with China has socio-economic, cultural and political significance and may be a precondition for increasing the image of Armenia in the eyes of Chinese tourists, chair of Armenian tourism federation Mekhak Apresyan told reporters on Monday.

According to him, the presence of direct flights, an increase in the level of service, and the application of a state approach can significantly increase the tourist flow.

This can also lead in the future to the growth of Chinese investments in the Armenian economy, he added noting that the introduction of a visa-free regime is a demonstration of the high level of relations between states and peoples.

Apresyan added that the implementation of the program for the training and retraining of guides is also important. Do not forget about increasing the level of knowledge of the Chinese language among employees of the tourism sector.

Guide Lusine Vardanyan, in her turn, noted that in recent years there has been an increase in the number of Chinese tourists (from January to October 2018 - more than 8400 people, for the same period in 2019 - 14500 people; ed.).