Armenia's tourism sector grew 12.8% year-on-year growth in Jan-June 2019

YEREVAN, September 16. /ARKA/. The inflow of tourists into Armenia has intensified significantly in the first half of 2019, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday at a news conference in Vanadzor.

"In particular, the number of tourists from Germany grew 59.5%, from China 53.5%, the Netherlands 34.9%, Switzerland 30%, the United Arab Emirates 29.7%, Greece 29%, Italy 24.4, the Great Britain 22.9%, Japan 22.2, Russia 19%, Sweden 19%, the United States 15% and France 13%. As a whole, tourism in Armenia accounted for a 12.8% growth in the first half of 2019," the premier said.

Nikol Pashinyan said referring to the central bank's figures that tourists have spent USD 200 million more over a period between January and June 2019 than at the same period a year before.

In his words, the number of tourists living in Armenian hotels has grown 60%.
In particular, Armenia's hotels hosted 20% of all the tourists who came to the country in the first half of 2018 (140,000), while at the same period of this year they hosted already 29% or more than 222,000. This growth brings more revenue to the government budget.

"The taxes paid by economic entities engaged in providing accommodation has grown 38% or by AMD 1 billion," Pashinyan said. "The taxes paid by tourist agencies have grown 53% or by AMD 400 million. This is not only statistical figures, but particular economic indicators."

In this connection, the prime minister made allusion to The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 of the World Economic Forum, where Armenia came 79th among 140 countries for its tourism competitiveness, upgrading its position by 5 notches, compared with 2017. --0----