What Does New Year's Vacation Cost in Armenia?

New Year is a much-anticipated holiday for many. People prefer to celebrate the New Year in various places, including restaurants, hotels, pubs, abroad, and, perhaps most commonly, at home amid the bustling atmosphere.

For the past couple of years, the New Year's holiday for citizens working in Armenia has been reduced. In the pre-holiday days, we see numerous announcements published by both travel agencies and restaurant complexes, hotels, and cottages. Auroranews decided to find out what prices are being offered by hotels operating in Armenia and what the demand looks like.

According to travel agencies, people are evenly booking New Year packages both in Armenia and abroad. Most people are heading to Egypt, Dubai, and the UAE. The top three destinations within Armenia are Tsaghkadzor, Dilijan, and Jermuk.

Vardan Sargsyan, director of the travel agency “Vardan Travel,” stated in an interview with us, “During these days, both domestic and outbound tours are being consumed evenly. Currently, Egypt is in the lead, as flights on December 25-26 are quite affordable, followed by the Emirates. Prices depend on the flights and hotels; for example, if you plan to travel somewhere on January 30-31, you will have to pay the highest price. A few days ago, flights to Egypt were quite affordable. For a vacation from December 25 to January 2, one could pay starting from 220,000 AMD (all-inclusive option).”

From the travel agency “Anriva,” they informed Auroranews that this year's New Year packages are being consumed evenly. Some clients plan to celebrate the New Year in Armenia, while others prefer abroad. “This year, Jermuk hotels have low demand as there is no New Year gala dinner there. However, there are people who want to spend their holiday in a hotel outside the city,” said Nayran, a service manager, adding that in such cases, the Jermuk option is becoming attractive to them.

We decided to check the costs of New Year vacations in the most popular city in Armenia, Tsaghkadzor, and see how the attacks from the opposition have impacted Jermuk's tourism demand.

By choosing, respectively, five-, four-, and three-star hotels, we found out how much a New Year vacation would cost for two people.

The “Aurora Resort” in Tsaghkadzor had limited availability from December 30 to January 3, and its prices could be discounted. The cost for a room with separate beds for two persons was 550,000 AMD, which could be reduced to 450,000 AMD. In a deluxe room, the double bed cost 690,000 AMD, with a potential discount of 190,000 AMD.

The “Rossiya” hotel in Tsaghkadzor had no available rooms for the same dates, neither in standard nor in deluxe categories. They offered free rooms from January 3 to 6 for 400,000 AMD for 2 persons. It is worth noting that even during these days, there were no luxury rooms available. A staff member noted that the rooms had been priced at 1,450,000 AMD.

The “Elegant” hotel in Tsaghkadzor had a New Year package only for the dates of December 31 to January 2. Rooms with double beds were sold out, while the single room for two persons was priced at 250,000 AMD. If guests wanted to participate in the gala dinner, they would need to add another 25,000 AMD per person. Here, unbooked luxury rooms were available, with one night costing 190,000 AMD, not including the gala dinner fee.

The “Alpina” hotel reported that they had no available rooms. A representative mentioned being new and that they did not know the costs for the specified period.

The “Writers’ House” hotel in Tsaghkadzor started New Year bookings from December 31 to January 3, and there were still available rooms. The price included the gala dinner, shows, concerts, etc. The double room cost 310,000 AMD, with a potential discount of 40,000 AMD. The deluxe family room for three persons was priced at 450,000 AMD, and it was mentioned that most guests were Armenians.

From the “Ardzvik” hotel in Tsaghkadzor, they had only one double room available for 270,000 AMD. They mentioned they could discount it by 50,000 AMD since it was the last one. There were no luxury rooms available; they had been sold at 145,000 AMD each, including the New Year gala dinner, breakfast, dinner, and services of Santa and Snow Maiden. A staff member stated that most guests were Armenians, with only a few being Russian.

Despite the attack in September towards the city of Jermuk, hotel rooms continue to be actively filled. “Jermuk Hotel & SPA” had luxury rooms priced at 600,000 AMD sold out. It is worth noting that the hotel did not offer any festive program. The standard room cost 75,000 AMD with three meals a day.

At “Jermuk Moscow Health Resort,” there were still available rooms. Standard rooms for two persons cost 60,000 AMD with three meals a day, while the deluxe room was priced at 70,000 AMD. Like some other hotels, there would also be khash preparation. A staff member noted that guests were not only Armenians but also had foreign visitors.

The “Ani” hotel still had available rooms. A double room for two persons was priced at 120,000 AMD with three meals a day. The deluxe room had the same conditions priced at 120,000 AMD per person. The hotel did not organize New Year events but offered to book dinner at the “Jermuk” restaurant for an additional cost.

The “Nairi” hotel had available rooms. It cost 60,000 AMD for two persons for one day with three meals, and they could provide the deluxe room at the standard room price. They also mentioned that the flow of guests would increase after January 2. They stated that during those days, they would also have Russian guests.