“We must not allow the sector to collapse, meaning there should be support for tourism,” says Mekhak Apresyan

“We have had a dramatic collapse in tourism, but this March there was a considerable group of Persians in Armenia. Starting from May, we plan to enter an acceptable and normal pace; this year we anticipate a 319 percent growth in Armenia's tourism sector compared to last year,” announced Acting Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan.

Mekhak Apresyan, president of the Armenian Tourism Federation, stated in an interview with Haykakan Jamanak that the minister’s statement is realistic if necessary actions are taken in that direction: “Of course, if we just sit and wait, that would be unrealistic,” said Apresyan.

According to him, both institutional issues need to be resolved and active marketing efforts should be made. He emphasized that even if the sector appears to be awakening today, displaying signs of recovery, that does not mean that all companies have already regained their breath, and the risks of bankruptcies and collapses have disappeared.

“We must not allow the sector to collapse, meaning there should be support for tourism. During the peak of the coronavirus, there was a series of measures to neutralize the consequences of COVID-19, some of which were related to the tourism sector and were somewhat remedial, but not completely. However, they also had the potential for improvement. During that time, there was a suggestion to provide preferential loans from the state to the sector, with a privileged grace period for repayment, which we argued could start one year later, meaning the repayment obligation would begin one year later. And now we are witnessing that the time for repayment has come, the war has added to the challenge, and the sector still lacks money for repayment, leading to concerns about bankruptcies. It's necessary to extend that grace period.

At this moment, it is vital to quickly adopt a special program for neutralizing the economic consequences of the war and developing the tourism sector, to implement measures so that tourists come tomorrow and we have the capacity to accommodate them,” added Apresyan.

He noted that Armenia is in a better position compared to many countries regarding the pandemic, but unfortunately, we are on the lists of countries not recommended for travel in our target and potential markets. According to him, this issue needs to be resolved quickly, and the Ministry of Health has work to do in presenting our actual situation on relevant international platforms and ensuring that everything is under control as well as what measures we are taking in that direction.

“Based on this, we can already cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which should do everything through all diplomatic channels to ensure that Armenia is removed from the list of non-recommended countries. The tourism committee also has work to do, as does the Office of the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, to involve the diaspora in this process. And of course, the private sector has its role to play. The state must take a coordinating role, and we all must work together to get us off those lists,” said Apresyan.

According to him, we have a relatively liberal and straightforward entry regime compared to many countries related to COVID-19; we only require a negative coronavirus test valid for 72 hours to allow someone to enter Armenia. However, the vaccination process is actively ongoing worldwide. “Many, including tourists from our target potential markets, have been vaccinated, but we have not included this in our regulations. We have stipulated that entry to our country can be granted only with a negative test; we do not plan for the presence of a document confirming vaccination or a negative test. After all, if people have been vaccinated and that is sufficient for us to consider them safe, then why wouldn’t we have a provision in our regulations that they can enter Armenia with proof of vaccination? If a person has already been vaccinated, why shouldn't we spare them the additional expenses, especially since in many countries that isn’t particularly cheap? Furthermore, undergoing testing isn't the most pleasant process. We should also implement a very active marketing policy, sparing no effort. Because this is not just an expense; it is an investment that will certainly yield results. We are talking about possibilities; we must do things to seize those opportunities, for example, bringing here an important international event, inviting renowned individuals to demonstrate to the world that it is peaceful, calm, safe, and attractive in Armenia,” he added.

According to Apresyan, we need to work; if we do, 319 percent means about 1.2 million tourists this year, which is less than our figure in 2019. In 2019, 1.9 million tourists visited Armenia, and if we work well, we can reach 1.2 million, and that number is achievable.