Armenia, UNWTO discuss possible joint initiatives

ArmInfo.  Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan and Head of the Armenian Tourism Committee Lusine Gevorgyan held a meeting with the newly appointed Secretary  General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),  Shaikha Al-Nowais.

The parties discussed the potential for developing tourism in Armenia  and  implementing joint initiatives.  They also talked about  developing tourism clusters in Armenia,  increasing tourist flows to  Armenia, promoting wine tourism, digitalizing the sector and  diversifying the tourism product. Congratulating Ms.  Al-Nowais on  her appointment, Gevorg Papoyan expressed hope that collaboration in   tourism will continue to expand and strengthen. He emphasized that  tourism is one of the key areas of economic development in Armenia,  the potential of which has not yet been fully realized. Among the  most promising areas of the sector, the Minister indicated medical  tourism. In this context, Papoyan proposed considering the  possibility of organizing an International Conference on Medical  Tourism jointly with the UNWTO.

Note that according to the Tourism Committee, 1.15 million tourists  visited Armenia in January-July, which is 2.5% lower than the   previous year's figure.