ArmInfo.The state should increase expenditure on marketing and advertising in the tourism sector. Chairman of the Armenian Tourism Federation Mekhak Apresyan expressed a similar opinion during a press conference.
He explained that in 2019, about 1.9 million tourists visited Armenia, which means that the tourism sector alone provided an income of about $ 1.5 billion. According to Apresyan, in a rough estimate, $ 300 million is sent to the state budget from this. <Can't we direct at least 1% of this amount to the development of marketing policy in the travel industry, which is even less than it is customary to spend in the world? This will allow us to see the results much faster," he said.
In this regard, the head of the Federation referred to a study by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), according to which one tourist from the point of view of marketing should spend $ 4-6. "If we had about 2 million tourists, our expenses should have been about $ 8-12 million. But we are not asking for that either, at least allocate $ 3 million to make a revolution in this area," he said.
In addition, the head of the Federation stressed the importance of the visit of a third person from an authoritative international organization, in particular the UNWTO, to Armenia, which would make it possible to testify about a safe environment in the country from the point of view of the post-war situation.
Apresyan noted that in this regard, it is also necessary to work in diplomatic directions, to use the potential of the Diaspora, so that in the end Armenia does not included on the list of countries not recommended for tourist visits.
