Foreign tourists spent by $120 million more in Armenia in the first six months of 2019 than in the same time span of last year
Foreign tourists spent $120 million more in Armenia in the first six months of 2019 than in the same time span of last year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a government meeting on Thursday, without specifying the overall figure.
"We can state that our tourism industry has registered very positive numbers – in the first 6 months of 2019 the number of foreign tourists visiting the country increased and they spent $120 million more than in the same period of 2018," said Pashinyan.
He said these figures were revealed by a Central Bank study of transactions made by use of foreign bank cards in Armenia’s hotels, restaurants and shops.
The prime minister asked the head of the National Security Service Arthur Vanetsyan and the head of Police Valery Osipian to ensure law and order.
“It is very important that both Armenian citizens and tourists feel safe in the country. This is an important precondition for the development of tourism,” said Pashinyan.
The chairman of the Central Bank Arthur Javadyan noted that the number of tourists in January-June 2019 increased by 12.3%, or 85 thousand when compared to the same indicator of 2018. According to him, it is also interesting that the number of hotels in Armenia, compared with 2013, increased by 300.
He said also that if in 2013 each tourist spent $730 in Armenia, now calculations show that the amount has grown to $880. -0-