Major international political and cultural events held in Armenia expected to boost tourism, expert says

According to Mekhak Apresyan, President of the Armenian Tourism Federation, the high-profile international events hosted in Armenia this year, as well as visits by globally renowned figures, are expected to have a positive impact on the country’s tourism indicators in the coming years. Speaking to Armenpress, Apresyan described the number of tourists visiting Armenia in the first quarter of the year as a significant increase.

 According to official data, 453,138 tourists visited the country during the period, marking an 18.2% rise compared with the same period last year. “One of the distinctive features of this year, the effects of which will become more evident later, is the growing global attention focused on Armenia due to a number of internationally significant events held here. Among the most notable are the European Political Community summit, the Armenia-European Union summit, the visit of Emmanuel Macron, as well as visits by internationally known figures such as Mike Tyson, Lara Fabian’s concert, COP17 scheduled for October, and even the electoral process in Armenia and the international interest surrounding it. All of this means that Armenia is becoming more recognizable year after year. We are pursuing an active marketing policy, and tourists consistently leave Armenia with experiences that exceed their expectations, sharing their positive impressions with friends, relatives and acquaintances,” the expert said.

 According to Apresyan, the current year’s results are the outcome of efforts made in previous years, reflected in Armenia’s well-established festivals, which have already gained international recognition, as well as in concerts and sporting events that have attracted global attention. Apresyan believes these developments are also helping to address a challenge that has negatively affected organized tourism. In particular, many countries considered target markets for Armenia—including those in Europe, the United States and Japan—still portray Armenia on their foreign ministry websites with red-marked advisories, presenting the country as not entirely safe, especially the provinces of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Tavush and Gegharkunik. “Although Armenia is consistently ranked among the top ten safest and most attractive destinations by many reputable publications, such advisories still exist. Thanks to international events of this scale and our successful festivals, which receive extensive coverage, the world can see that thousands and tens of thousands of tourists from various countries, as well as Europe’s top political leaders, travel safely throughout Armenia,” said the head of the Armenian Tourism Federation.

 He added that achievements in the tourism sector are also the result of the work carried out by both state institutions and the private sector, whether jointly or independently. Apresyan stressed the importance of measures aimed at strengthening organized tourism and improving the competitiveness of tourism services as part of the sector’s sustainable long-term development, including efforts to curb unjustified price increases. “It is organized tourism that has suffered most from the coronavirus pandemic and the wartime situation, and it has not yet fully recovered. We must do everything possible to restore it through legislative mechanisms and various economic incentives. Recovery is taking place gradually, but if we look at the research findings, we see that organized tourism accounts for only about 5% of total visits. Our goal is to increase that figure to at least 30%,” Apresyan said. According to him, organized tourism is more sustainable, as tours are carried out according to planned itineraries and include all regions of Armenia, including border communities. By contrast, individual tourist visits and leisure activities are largely concentrated in Yerevan. “We have put forward a proposal that would address several important issues. It would help mitigate unjustified price increases, strengthen our regional competitiveness and cooperation, and contribute to cultural and information security. The proposal concerns the application of a zero rate of value-added tax on inbound tourism packages, a measure that Georgia has been implementing since 2011,” the expert said. He expressed confidence that, if adopted, the proposed legislation would stimulate the development of organized tourism while helping to address issues related to balanced decentralization, regional economic development, cultural and information security. It would also strengthen Armenia-Georgia cooperation in the sector and enhance the global competitiveness of regional tourism packages. Apresyan emphasized that institutional reforms are currently being implemented in Armenia’s tourism sector, and that the proposal submitted by the federation forms an integral part of those reforms. According to the Tourism Committee of Armenia’s Ministry of Economy, inbound tourism recorded a historic result in January-May 2026. A total of 825,384 tourists visited Armenia during the period, representing a 19.3% increase compared with tourism arrivals recorded in the same period of 2025.