"Museum Under the Open Sky"
 |
Armenia is one of the most ancient countries in the world existing since the times of Babylon, Assyria and Egypt and once counted among the great powers. Greek Historians first referred to the land of Armenia about 3000 years ago. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as the state religion in 301 AD. |
From Yerevan (capital of Armenia, founded in 782 BC), the miraculous Ararat Mountain with its eternal snow (5,165 m high) can be seen, where Noah’s Ark landed after the Great Flood.
It’s possible to get an Entrance visa to Armenia through the Internet at the following address: www.armeniaforeignministry.com
It is possible to get an Entrance visa to Armenia through the Internet using e-Visa system.
Armenia’s main tourist attractions are its warm climate, splendid mountains, beautiful forests, Lake Sevan (set in the mountains at more than 1,900 meters above see level), an Olympic skiing base in Tsakhkadzor and many archaeological sites, churches, monasteries and historical monuments, health spas in Jermuk. There are facilities for activities such as water sports, winter skiing, mountaineering, caving, hiking, horseback riding and fishing.
Armenia has a number of spa resorts centered on medicinal springs that offers considerable potential for health cures. There are also opportunities for “ecotourism”, which include educational/ recreational field trips for bird watchers and botanists. And Yerevan offers a wide range of restaurants with excellent Armenian, European and Oriental cuisine, open-air cafes, casinos, clubs and very interesting museums and art galleries.
Five zones have been identified for tourist development:
-
Regional Yerevan and surrounding areas, including Geghard monastery, Garni pagan temple and the churches in Echmiadzin;
-
Vayots Dzor district to the south of Yerevan, including the spectacular Amaghou valley, Noravank monastery and the spa town of Jermuk;
-
Siunik district, including dramatic mountain scenery and the Tatev monastery;
-
Northern Armenia, including the second largest city, Gyumri, mountains and lakes;
-
Lake Sevan area, including the town of Dilijan, where there is potential to develop a ski resort.
In 2006 the annual growth rate of incoming tourists was 18.3% while in 2005 it was 26.7%. The countries of incoming tourists are CIS countries, EU, USA and Iran. The most convenient way to visit Armenia is by air through the Zvartnots International Airport, located just outside of Yerevan (10 min. drive from city center), and Shirak Airport in Gyumri. Among the major airlines operating in Armenia are Armavia Airlines, Air France, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Lufthansa Airlines, Aeroflot-Russian Airlines.
Overland road routes and rail links connect Armenia with its neighbor countries. The main railway station in Armenia, the Sasuntsi Davit Station connects the capital city with several large towns of Armenia as well as Tbilisi and Batumi (Georgia).
Major Investors
-
Marriott Hotel Armenia
-
Golden Tulip Yerevan Hotel
-
Congress Hotel
-
Tufenkian Hospitality
-
Ani Plaza Hotel
-
Mirhav Hotel (Goris)
-
Regineh Hotel
-
Latar Hotel
-
Isuz Hotel (Gyumri)
-
Berlin Hotel (Gyumri)
-
Cafesjian Museum
-
Zvartnots International Airport
-
Envoy Hostel
-
Parev Inn
-
Vahagn Hovnanian Community
-
Aqua Water Park opened in Yerevan - Spanish Linterbul and Russian Klike and Sam companies, etc.
To promote tourism in the country, a National Tourism Agency was created in June 2000. This Agency is responsible for the implementation of the tourism policy program and tourism promotion www.armeniainfo.am
Incoming/Outgoing tourists by years
|
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
Incoming tourists |
181,876 |
230,390 |
272,499 |
Outgoing tourists |
173,553 |
209,160 |
250,639 |
Incoming/Outgoing tourists by countries
Countries/Share (%) |
By Countries (%) |
||
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
CIS countries |
28.0 |
29.4 |
22.5 |
Russia |
20.7 |
22.6 |
17.0 |
Georgia |
5.1 |
2.6 |
4.0 |
Other CIS countries |
2.2 |
2.6 |
1.5 |
EU countries |
28.6 |
28.8 |
34.5 |
France |
10.1 |
9.1 |
14.1 |
Germany |
5.4 |
5.1 |
5.1 |
GB |
7.6 |
5.3 |
5.0 |
Other EU countries |
6.3 |
9.0 |
10.3 |
USA |
22.2 |
22.8 |
23.3 |
Iran |
8.4 |
8.1 |
5.4 |
Turkey |
1.1 |
1.3 |
1.1 |
Canada |
1.5 |
1.4 |
2.0 |
Other countries |
10.1 |
8.3 |
11.1 |
Incoming/Outgoing tourists by targets (%)
Years |
2004 |
2005 |
Incoming tourists |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Business |
43.7 |
30.4 |
Travel |
15.2 |
25.8 |
Education |
0.4 |
0.4 |
Medical Cure |
0.4 |
0.8 |
Other |
40.3 |
42.7 |
Outgoing tourists |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Business |
0.7 |
9.3 |
Travel |
2.8 |
22.0 |
Education |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Medical Cure |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Other |
5.1 |
68.7 |
Key sectors:
IT, Electronics and Precision Eng., Mining, Energy, Fine chemicals and pharmaceutecal, Jewelry and diamonts, Textiles and Closing, Food and drinks, Tourism