Several days ago quite interesting information appeared on the internet news, which was quickly dispersed on Armenian websites. It turns out that the Russian tourists prefer to spend their vacation in Armenia and are inspired with unique love to our country. The number of the Russian tourist to our country has risen 4 times within the current year – leaving behind Brazil, Bulgaria and other countries attractive to tourists.
Indeed the news is rejoicing as no matter what our country benefits from the increase of the number of tourists. Doesn’t matter they are visiting from Russia or other country, whether they are Armenians or foreigners. But the most interesting thing was not this information but the interpretation that followed it. Thus, the Russian GTZ.ru website quoted the words of the director of Yerevan Travel Hovhannes Khachatryan. He confirmed that there is big inflow of tourists and added that the number of Russian tourists to Armenia has increased especially after the annihilation of travel packages to Georgia. However, the next factor that the interviewee of GTZ.ru mentioned really astounded us. It turns out that the tourists are most attractive by the low prices in Armenia. This was news to us. When speaking of the high or low prices there should indeed be certain comparison. Let us try to compare. In Armenia the prices of more or less decent hotels start at 20.000 AMD per night. Moreover, the 20.000 AMD rooms mostly suggest lodging with no food, entertainment and other fun stuff. In order to have a better rest it is necessary to pay more. For example, last Sunday there was no place in Sevan. The segment from the highway leading to the peninsula didn’t differ from Amiryan-Mashtots crossroads. The peninsula reminded of the car fair and people were literally flocked next to each other by trying to struggle for inch of space. Let’s add to this the smoke from the cars and the noise, music that’s heard from inside the cars, the peels of watermelon that is seen everywhere. And so the rest turns into a real trial. Instead of this one can have a decent rest in Harsnakar of Sevan but here it will be necessary to pay minimum 40.000 AMD per day. There are more expensive prices. For example, regarding this theme the news.am has spoken with the representative of Ararat tour, who had mentioned that when their customers hear that in order to have a decent rest in Jermuk they had to pay 60.000 AMD they prefer to purchase international travel packages. The representative of Beau Monde travel agency informed that their customers literally avoid spending a day in Jermuk in order not to waste 80.000 AMD per night and instead they ask to offer them international packages. Thus, the decent rest in Jermuk for one week would cost 560.000 AMD (over 1500 USD). Now look at this picture. This is a 5-star hotel in Antalya on the beach. The rest in this hotel for two persons with all-inclusive service (that means three-time meals, bars and other fun stuff for free) will cost 1400 USD including travel fare. Moreover, during this period you can use for free the Turkish bath, Jacuzzi, gym, disco club, tennis courts, etc. The interested ones can be introduced to this hotel and others on the website of teztour.com. If we look at all this with the foreigner’s eyes everything is more complicated. First of all the foreigner, who would wish to rest in Jermuk besides the accommodation will have to pay for air fare. Taking into account the fact that the tourists mostly visit Armenia by airplane that costs a lot for them, especially if they travel not by themselves. Besides, during the past three months, the growing AMD devaluation is not profitable for foreign tourists at all. If the 80.000 AMD room cost 205 USD for the tourist 3 months ago, now it costs 220 USD. Same pertains to all the expenses made here. Thus, our Jermuk cannot withstand competition. Now let us return to us, Armenians. We don’t take the plane to go for a rest to Sevan or Jermuk and besides we are receiving the incomes in AMD. But judging from the big number of people visiting abroad for vacation for the majority of Armenians it is more profitable to pay 1400 USD and leave for Antalya than spend 1500 USD or less to rest in the best resort of Jermuk. Of course, the logic prompts that Antalya is a better option both in the aspect of price and quality. The only obstacle is that the “super patriots” may label you as traitors if you leave for Antalya. For example, one of the domestic tour operators told the news.am that Armenians don’t spend their vacation here because they don’t love their country. “In our country civil society is not developed. Many people prefer to go to Antalya, eat ice-cream lying down on the sand and consider that they have had a good rest this summer. However, they could do the same in their fatherland, including Karabakh,” he said. We don’t know what the rest in Karabakh has got to do with the civil society. Instead let us ask them a different question. Is it patriotic when the government claims that the prices are dropped down for the resorts of Armenia but the owners of Armenian resorts increase the prices of their shabby cottages by 50% especially when the weather is hot and people tend to run away from Yerevan? Let us recall that this approach to hide their own inability by claiming patriotism is no news. 1.5-2 years ago one of our tour operators went even further by stating that they wouldn’t sell packages for Turkey. The justification was that the Turkish-Israeli relations have become tense and this is hazardous for our citizens resting on the beach. However, the most dreadful thing for each tourist is the expensive price.