Armenia is one of the countries to recognize tourism a priority on the state level. This is one of the principles of the state policy, stipulated by the law of the Republic of Armenia on Tourism and Tourist Activities. The overall goal of state policy in tourism is to increase its contribution to the sustainable development of the national economy and equal territorial economic growth while at the same time alleviating poverty through:

• sustaining high levels of growth in the number of incoming and internal tourists,

• increasing tourism generated income through offering higher value products and services,

• creating new job opportunities in the sector.

Effective elaboration and implementation of tourism state policy, well established public-private partnership and mutually beneficial international and regional cooperation have resulted in significant growth in tourism sector during the last decade. This growth is reflected both in the number and geographical reach of incoming tourist visits and in investment in hospitality and related infrastructure. Armenia’s tourism industry has shown significant growth in the past 5 years with an average annual growth of about 9% of incoming tourist arrivals.

TOURISM STATISTICS

THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF TOURISM

Regular assistance is provided to support the educational institutions in the educational field of the Tourism industry .They provide the necessary information and professional materials to the students. In order to increase the professional qualification in the frame of partnership with the different countries, public and private sector professionals are trained in Egypt, Japan, China, Germany and Spain. Armenian tourism organizations are held regularly to discuss issues related to the field and are organized round tables.

The specialists of the tourism industry /managers and specialists of the middle link/were educated by the following educational institutes.

- Yerevan State University

- Yerevan State University (the branch of Ijevan)

- Armenian State University of Economics

- Armenian State University of Economics (the branch of Eghegnadzor)

- The linguistic State University of Erevan by V.Bryusov.

- Armenian Institute of Tourism, the branch of Russian International Academy of Tourism

- Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University

- Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia

- The French University in Armenia

- Moscow State University of Service and Tourism, branch of Yerevan.

- Management University of Yerevan

- European Regional Educational Academy

- Yerevan State College of Humanities

- Armenian-Greek State College of tourism, service and food industry

STATE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

1. The Program of Solution of Target Tasks “Tsakhkadzor – A Tourist Center Conforming to the International Standards”.

2. The 2008-2012 strategy of developing of Jermuk city.

3. Tatev Tourism Center Development Program.

4. Tourism Development program of Goris city.

5. AnnualTourism Development Programs.

Since the 1-st of January in 2011 isn’t licensed the activity of guides and escorts. At the same time we inform that today the taxis for the licensed guides and escorts is stopped.

Tourism stands out as one of the strongest potential drivers of inclusive economic and social growth in Armenia. As a sector already growing on its own in Armenia, increased growth stands to have greater impact for more people. Tourism offers more ways for people to earn livelihoods with relatively lower barriers of entry compared to other industries. It also can more quickly expand to all parts of Armenia with fewer geographical constraints on its growth. In supporting the tourism sector,  the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of RA  aims to:

• Improve the quality of the infrastructure and services provided;
• Diversify tourists’ in-country experiences;
• Increase the number of visitors to Armenia;
• Extend visitor stays in Armenia, and expand the places they travel to;
• Increase the number of domestic tourists;
• Improve the position of Armenia in the World’s tourism map;
• Strengthen the tourism education and qualification system;
• Improve tourism related regulation and strengthen coordination across sector; and,
• Improve statistics methodology and insert a sustainable mechanism for collecting the information

The Tourism Committee carries out its mandate in partnership with various stakeholders, all working together to strengthen and grow the tourism sectors. These stakeholders include:

• Internal government partners and programs;
• Development partners and programs (international donor organizations and development sectors);
• University partners.

The official tourism website of the Committee https://www.armenia.travel provides comprehensive information on Armenia, its culture, history, tourism products, upcoming events and festivals and other tourism-related initiatives.

For inquiries, please contact  +374 11 597157 or stc@mineconomy.am