Coronavirus topples tourism in Armenia

Armenia is on the list of countries where the tourism industry has suffered most due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Only 311,264 tourists visited the country in the first half of 2020, reports the National Statistics Committee. This figure was 770,055 during the same period in 2019.

•Coronavirus battering Armenia’s wine industry – and what’s being done to stop it

•Coronavirus-affected tourism sector to receive aid from the Armenian government

What the statistics say

The report says that the figures are based on data for January-March 2020, since there were no foreign tourists in the country from April to June due to the coronavirus situation.

In addition, domestic tourism has also collapsed – the flow of internal tourists during the same period decreased by 60.5% and amounted to just 140,158 people. This is the number of vacationers who stayed in hotels.

Only the field of medical tourism reported a slight increase of 15.3%.

The coronavirus situation in the country

On July 6, Armenia passed the peak of coronavirus infections and the number of new infections per day began to decline.

In light of this situation, starting August 12, the commandant’s office allowed foreigners to come to the country, as well as hold street meetings and rallies, in compliance with anti-epidemic measures. This refers in particular to the social distancing and mask requirements still in force in the country.

As of September 9, Armenia reported 199 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 45,152. 41,023 patients have recovered, and 905 people have died.