New Legislative Package on Tourism Introduced

The Armenian government has introduced a new legislative package regarding tourism. The new legislative package on "Tourism" will represent a new and correct reform in the sector. This was announced by the Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan during a session of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly.

According to Kerobyan, this is a development package, as the law on "Tourism and Tourism Activities" has been in force since 2003 but has been unable to address several issues. He noted, "For instance, the clear differentiation of services provided by those offering tourism services, the establishment of requirements and standards, the development of the powers of policymakers, and the introduction of control mechanisms, etc. All these issues will be clearly regulated by the new package," he added.

The new law is expected to come into force on June 30, 2024, with some regulations in effect by June 30, 2025.

According to Kerobyan, tourism in Armenia is developing at a quite good pace. "In the first ten months of this month, over 2 million tourists have visited Armenia. We expect that this number will reach 2.4 million by the end of the year, which is approximately 25 percent more than we had in the best tourism year for us, 2019," the minister detailed.

This legislative package aims to regulate both inbound and outbound tourism and will also open new opportunities for the tourism sector to contribute to the development of the Armenian economy.