ArmInfo. Considering that tourism is an important sector of the economy, we have set a strategic goal of attracting over 3 million tourists by 2030. This was stated by Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan during a press conference on October 1, dedicated to the opening of the Hungarian airline Wizz Air base in Armenia.
In this regard, the head of the Tourism Committee, Lusine Gevorgyan, added that the launch of direct flights will have a direct impact on increasing tourist flow. She also recalled the World Bank and the Armenian government's ?120 million program to create 10 tourism clusters in Armenia, which includes infrastructure improvements. This program, she added, will also have a positive impact on attracting tourists to Armenia's regions.
Gevorgyan expressed confidence that maintaining the current pace of work by the government and its partners will enable the ministry to reach the 3 million tourist target sooner, allowing it to set more ambitious and long-term goals. "I think this is just the beginning," said the head of the Tourism Committee.
As a reminder, according to the ministry's data, 1.5 million tourists visited Armenia from January to August 2025, a 1.4% increase compared to the previous year. Traditionally, the lion's share of tourists are Russian citizens (41%), followed by tourists from Georgia (13%), Iran (8%), the United States (3%), France and China (2% each), Germany, India, Ukraine, and the Philippines (1% each), and others.
It's worth noting that Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced today the opening of its base at Zvartnots International Airport (Yerevan). In response, the airline expanded its flight network to include the following routes: Prague-Yerevan-Prague (effective October 1), Hamburg-Yerevan-Hamburg (effective October 1), Paphos-Yerevan-Paphos (effective October 2), Nice-Yerevan-Nice (effective October 2), Naples-Yerevan-Naples (effective October 15), Bari-Yerevan-Bari (effective October 26), Bucharest- Yerevan-Bucharest (effective October 26), and Memmingen-Yerevan-Memmingen (effective October 28).
The company also closed its direct flight from Yerevan to Sofia in October, without providing a reason. Market analysts believe that this behavior by Wizz Air creates significant risks not only for tourist flows but also for the establishment of trade and economic ties between the countries. The lack of guarantees for long-term air service from the company (which can happen to any destination) is not the best policy for an airline, as it undermines trust.
In the meantime, Wizz Air will operate flights from Yerevan to a total of 17 destinations in 10 countries.
