Garni Museum Issues Clarification

Garni Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museum has issued a clarification regarding its financial revenues. "In response to reports circulating in the media, we inform that some of the publicized information has been presented without complete analysis.

Specifically, according to the calculations made, the one-day income of the Garni Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museum branch was stated as 4,125,000 AMD, which does not correspond to reality.

The calculation was based on the number of visitors as of June 12, which was 5,000 individuals, and was calculated with an average estimate based on the set fee for a visitor of 750 AMD. On June 12, of the 5,000 visitors to the Garni Museum branch, 125 were foreigners, 2214 were locals and EAEU citizens, 1152 were children, 78 were pensioners, the number of individuals entitled to free admission was 132, and those visiting under school subscriptions numbered 481. On the same day, one foreign language tour was conducted, six times audio guide services were provided, and one photoshoot took place.

Thus, the total amount from ticket sales and services provided on June 12 amounted to 2,097,000 AMD, of which 355,019 AMD was tax liability.

Such activity was recorded on the last two Sundays of the current month, while during the tourist peak season, the number of visits on other days of the week reaches up to 1,000, with income reaching up to 600,000 AMD.

It should also be noted that on the last Saturday of each month, entrance to the museums is free for Armenian citizens. For instance, at the end of May, 2,500 people visited Garni Museum for free.

In press conferences, interviews, and other platforms, it has been presented that the revenues received from the Garni Museum branch are directed not only towards the maintenance and development of Garni's monuments, areas, and infrastructures but also towards the preservation of the other 15 museums and cultural reserves of the national authority, as the majority of these reserves are free to enter. Meanwhile, the revenue streams from other branches with paid admissions are insufficient to maintain their respective monuments.

A portion of these funds is also directed to the preservation, promotion, and research programs of other monuments registered throughout Armenia, including cleaning and improvement works, installation of signs and information panels, organization of educational programs, exhibitions, and other events.

Funds are also being invested to improve the preservation status of the authority's more than 300,000 items in museum collections.

As for the organization of paid events and the filming of promotional videos, it is noted that during the first half of the year, four events were organized, for which the authority received 224,337 AMD.

Furthermore, numerous cultural events are organized free of charge.

The acting director of the authority, A. Hovhannisyan, and citizen Stepan Isperyan signed a contract with the only participant in a competition conducted in accordance with the procurement legislation of Armenia regarding the rental service of the audio guide. Complete information on this procurement procedure is published on the Ministry of Finance of Armenia's gnumner.am website.

The audio guide, as a variant of museum and tourism service provision, has been implemented in Garni to ease the burden on guides and serve as an alternative tour guide service on their days off, taking into account relevant foreign experience. Currently, efforts are underway to ensure availability in other languages as well, including Chinese and Japanese.

In other museums, the audio guide service has not yet been launched due to the high costs of implementation and service and the scarcity of visitor flows.

International experience in museum and monument management shows that a significant portion of the income of these museums also comes from souvenir shops and various service services.

Regarding the impact of trade in the area on the favorable visual perception of the monument, the design of museum souvenir stalls and other service infrastructures is underway, along with established procedures for their installation and operation.