ArmInfo. For the 10 months of 2019, 14.500 Chinese citizens visited Armenia. In January-October 2018, 8430 Chinese citizens visited, and 8450 people left for from Armenia to China. On November 25, introducing the draft agreement on the abolition of the visa regime between Armenia and China, Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts said at a meeting of the Foreign Relations Commission of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
According to him, the abolition of the visa regime between the two states will lead to even greater growth in the tourist flow from China, will strengthen opportunities for contacts between representatives of business structures, and will intensify bilateral trade and economic relations.
As the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia noted, if, in the presence of visa restrictions, the flow of tourists is currently growing at a fast pace, then with their withdrawal one can expect a real boom. The agreement, as the deputy minister noted, was signed on May 26 of this year. The purpose of the document is to stimulate the development of friendly relations between Armenia and China, as well as facilitate mutual visits of citizens of the two countries. The agreement provides that citizens with ordinary passports, upon entering the country or in transit, will be exempted from the need to obtain a visa when they are in the host country for up to 90 days within six months. If the citizens of the two countries plan to stay for study or work, they will have to apply for a visa.
It should be noted that earlier Ambassador of China to Armenia Tian Erlong, reported that the trade turnover between Armenia and China over the 9 months amounted to $ 650 million, having increased by 50% compared to the same period last year.
In turn, on November 14, RA Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan noted that in 2019 the tourist flow from China to Armenia increased by 42.1%. The Minister expressed confidence that the growth rate of tourism will continue in 2020. 6.3 billion drams will be allocated from the state budget for the development of the sector next year.