Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Grappling with lagging economy that paralyzed certain spheres including the industry, business, exports, which in turn exhaust the sources of income, the Armenian authorities now pin great hopes on a large-scale tourist flow to the country this spring to remedy the scars of its broken economy.

Tourism is as important as water and oxygen for the resource-poor economy like Armenia, who is landlocked in the region because of its aggressive behavior towards its neighbors. Since each tourist is viewed as a separate source for budget income, the rulers in Yerevan choose tourism as the key sphere to benefit amid recent tougher period.

According to World Bank data, Armenia's total income from tourism stood at $487 million over the last four years. The figures featuring the former Soviet nation's tourism profits ten years ago -- $486 million, shows that Yerevan managed to increase its income only by $1 million to date.

The existing unattractive tourism atmosphere in Armenia confirms the above WB data, as many tourists in the South Caucasus country do not find Armenia attractive anymore. For example, the capital city, Yerevan is now hardly seeing the thumbs up from voyagers from European countries and Iran. Tourists have complained of the lack of security -- robbery -- as well as poor accommodation and services.

For instance, to take the tourists to Lake Sevan, taxi drivers charge tourists an extortionate fee - $170, which is a extremely high price. This swindle did not sit well with visitors.

Travel agencies mostly in Yerevan have lamented on considerably decreased tourism incomes over recent years. As for them, the lack of a proper mechanism to regulate this field orchestrates today's unpromising tourism sector in Armenia.

Manager of a travel agency in Yerevan, Gohar Hovhannisyan said far fewer tourists have visited Armenia in the recent three or four years.

The main problem is the skyrocketing service prices in Armenia beginning with renting costs, believes Hovhannisyan.

"Tourists can visit Turkey or Dubai and spend half of the sums they spend in Armenia. We are not a cheap country for them any longer," she said.

"Tourists are not interested in Armenia's history or culture. They just come here to enjoy their free time," Hovhannisyan added.

Primarily the tourists from Iran, who visit Armenia during their festive Novruz in March, claim they face numerous challenges including religious intolerance, unforeseen robbery and cheating.

The fact that religious intolerance exists in Armenia comes to light perfectly in view of a behavior towards the Iranian trippers in Yerevan.

Head of the Tourism Department under Economy Ministry, Mekhak Apresyan said many of the Persian tourists complain that they are not allowed to pray in hotels.

The official figures show clearly that Iranian citizens do not prefer to visit Armenia anymore due to social discrimination and widespread swindling.

Henrik Navasardyan, a restaurant owner in Yerevan, said Armenia was included in the "black list" of travelers from Iran, as those who were in the country before refused to visit here again.

"Iranian citizens encounter a lot of problems in Armenia including the artificially increased service prices and indifferent treatment. Because, there is a peculiar "formula" in Armenia - only the people coming from Europe are viewed as tourists, the rest are just visitors," he said.

The number of Iranian tourists fell to 94,000 in 2013 as the number stood at 111,000 in 2012, according to official statistics.

According to Tert.am, local media outlet, some Iranians strolling in Yerevan’s Republic Square and along North Avenue said the service prices have considerably risen in Armenia. So, they do not now visit the country as often as before.

The recent official data showed that prices for hotel services increased by 20-30 percent in Armenia over the recent months primarily due to the ongoing financial hesitation.

- - -

Follow Mushvig Mehdiyev on Twitter: @Mushviggo

Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNews