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US AMBASSADOR COMPLAINS OF HIGH SERVICE COSTS IN ARMENIA
If the prices for services and air tickets remain very high in Armenia,
nobody will visit the country, US Ambassador John Heffern told Tert.am
at an international conference devoted to the tourism development
opportunities in Armenia.
The diplomat said he thinks the prices offered very to be high from
the accepted standards.
The conference, entitled "Harmonization and Issues in European Travel
and Tourism Law: Lessons for Armenia", was also attended by Minister
of Economy Tigran Davtyan, his deputy, Ara Petrosyan, Chairman of
Armenia's National Competitiveness Foundation Arman Khachatryan,
President of the International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates
Michael Vuksich, and President of the USAID-funded Enterprise
Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project John Downes,
Commenting on the ambassador's remarks regarding the high prices,
the deputy minister said at a briefing that high costs imply a
corresponding quality. "When we say the prices are high, that means
we have prices forming part of our tourism product," he said pointing
out to such services as translations, sale of souvenirs and visa
prices. "All that is what generates the package. We have conducted
our research, and the opinion is that the hotels in Armenia are
more expensive than those in Georgia. But we have a fact from the
well-known portal Booking.com, and I declare officially that all the
hotels in Armenia - belonging to the same class - are 10%-15% cheaper."
Asked why in that case Armenian citizens prefer to spend their holidays
in Georgia, Petrosyan pointed out to the differences between the
products offered. "The Black Sea has absolutely nothing to do with
Lake Sevan. That's a different tourism product."
Commenting on the possible impact of the national airline's bankruptcy
deal, Petrosyan said the decision to suspend Armavia has not in any
way affected Armenia's tourism potentials. "The situation is under
the Armenian Government's control and monitoring.
We, as an authorized agency, maintain very intensive contacts with
the private sector which organizes tours to Armenia," the deputy
minister said, adding that they have no complaints at the moment.
"That means that the air companies, which received an opportunities to
increase the frequency of flights, covered the entire market dominated
by Armavia," he continued.
Petrosyan noted that intensive discussions are now going on over
the expediency of operating a national airline at all. He stressed
the importance of adopting policies or strategies that would make
Armenia more accessible in terms of visit frequencies. The deputy
minister promised that the government decision regarding the issue
will be make public soon.
If the prices for services and air tickets remain very high in
Armenia, nobody will visit the country, US Ambassador John Heffern
told Tert.am at an international conference devoted to the tourism
development opportunities in Armenia.
The diplomat said he thinks the prices offered very to be high from
the accepted standards.
The conference, entitled "Harmonization and Issues in European
Travel and Tourism Law: Lessons for Armenia", was also attended
by Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, his deputy, Ara Petrosyan,
Chairman of Armenia's National Competitiveness Foundation Arman
Khachatryan, President of the International Forum of Travel and
Tourism Advocates Michael Vuksich, and President of the USAID-funded
Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project
John Downes,Commenting on the ambassador's remarks regarding the
high prices, the deputy minister said at a briefing that high costs
imply a corresponding quality. "When we say the prices are high,
that means we have prices forming part of our tourism product," he
said pointing out to such services as translations, sale of souvenirs
and visa prices. "All that is what generates the package. We have
conducted our research, and the opinion is that the hotels in Armenia
are more expensive than those in Georgia. But we have a fact from the
well-known portal Booking.com, and I declare officially that all the
hotels in Armenia - belonging to the same class - are 10%-15% cheaper."
Asked why in that case Armenian citizens prefer to spend their holidays
in Georgia, Petrosyan pointed out to the differences between the
products offered. "The Black Sea has absolutely nothing to do with
Lake Sevan. That's a different tourism product."
Commenting on the possible impact of the national airline's bankruptcy
deal, Petrosyan said the decision to suspend Armavia has not in any
way affected Armenia's tourism potentials. "The situation is under
the Armenian Government's control and monitoring.
We, as an authorized agency, maintain very intensive contacts with
the private sector which organizes tours to Armenia," the deputy
minister said, adding that they have no complaints at the moment.
"That means that the air companies, which received an opportunities to
increase the frequency of flights, covered the entire market dominated
by Armavia," he continued.
Petrosyan noted that intensive discussions are now going on over
the expediency of operating a national airline at all. He stressed
the importance of adopting policies or strategies that would make
Armenia more accessible in terms of visit frequencies. The deputy
minister promised that the government decision regarding the issue
will be make public soon.
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian
If the prices for services and air tickets remain very high in Armenia,
nobody will visit the country, US Ambassador John Heffern told Tert.am
at an international conference devoted to the tourism development
opportunities in Armenia.
The diplomat said he thinks the prices offered very to be high from
the accepted standards.
The conference, entitled "Harmonization and Issues in European Travel
and Tourism Law: Lessons for Armenia", was also attended by Minister
of Economy Tigran Davtyan, his deputy, Ara Petrosyan, Chairman of
Armenia's National Competitiveness Foundation Arman Khachatryan,
President of the International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates
Michael Vuksich, and President of the USAID-funded Enterprise
Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project John Downes,
Commenting on the ambassador's remarks regarding the high prices,
the deputy minister said at a briefing that high costs imply a
corresponding quality. "When we say the prices are high, that means
we have prices forming part of our tourism product," he said pointing
out to such services as translations, sale of souvenirs and visa
prices. "All that is what generates the package. We have conducted
our research, and the opinion is that the hotels in Armenia are
more expensive than those in Georgia. But we have a fact from the
well-known portal Booking.com, and I declare officially that all the
hotels in Armenia - belonging to the same class - are 10%-15% cheaper."
Asked why in that case Armenian citizens prefer to spend their holidays
in Georgia, Petrosyan pointed out to the differences between the
products offered. "The Black Sea has absolutely nothing to do with
Lake Sevan. That's a different tourism product."
Commenting on the possible impact of the national airline's bankruptcy
deal, Petrosyan said the decision to suspend Armavia has not in any
way affected Armenia's tourism potentials. "The situation is under
the Armenian Government's control and monitoring.
We, as an authorized agency, maintain very intensive contacts with
the private sector which organizes tours to Armenia," the deputy
minister said, adding that they have no complaints at the moment.
"That means that the air companies, which received an opportunities to
increase the frequency of flights, covered the entire market dominated
by Armavia," he continued.
Petrosyan noted that intensive discussions are now going on over
the expediency of operating a national airline at all. He stressed
the importance of adopting policies or strategies that would make
Armenia more accessible in terms of visit frequencies. The deputy
minister promised that the government decision regarding the issue
will be make public soon.
If the prices for services and air tickets remain very high in
Armenia, nobody will visit the country, US Ambassador John Heffern
told Tert.am at an international conference devoted to the tourism
development opportunities in Armenia.
The diplomat said he thinks the prices offered very to be high from
the accepted standards.
The conference, entitled "Harmonization and Issues in European
Travel and Tourism Law: Lessons for Armenia", was also attended
by Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, his deputy, Ara Petrosyan,
Chairman of Armenia's National Competitiveness Foundation Arman
Khachatryan, President of the International Forum of Travel and
Tourism Advocates Michael Vuksich, and President of the USAID-funded
Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project
John Downes,Commenting on the ambassador's remarks regarding the
high prices, the deputy minister said at a briefing that high costs
imply a corresponding quality. "When we say the prices are high,
that means we have prices forming part of our tourism product," he
said pointing out to such services as translations, sale of souvenirs
and visa prices. "All that is what generates the package. We have
conducted our research, and the opinion is that the hotels in Armenia
are more expensive than those in Georgia. But we have a fact from the
well-known portal Booking.com, and I declare officially that all the
hotels in Armenia - belonging to the same class - are 10%-15% cheaper."
Asked why in that case Armenian citizens prefer to spend their holidays
in Georgia, Petrosyan pointed out to the differences between the
products offered. "The Black Sea has absolutely nothing to do with
Lake Sevan. That's a different tourism product."
Commenting on the possible impact of the national airline's bankruptcy
deal, Petrosyan said the decision to suspend Armavia has not in any
way affected Armenia's tourism potentials. "The situation is under
the Armenian Government's control and monitoring.
We, as an authorized agency, maintain very intensive contacts with
the private sector which organizes tours to Armenia," the deputy
minister said, adding that they have no complaints at the moment.
"That means that the air companies, which received an opportunities to
increase the frequency of flights, covered the entire market dominated
by Armavia," he continued.
Petrosyan noted that intensive discussions are now going on over
the expediency of operating a national airline at all. He stressed
the importance of adopting policies or strategies that would make
Armenia more accessible in terms of visit frequencies. The deputy
minister promised that the government decision regarding the issue
will be make public soon.
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian