Russian Official Warns Government Could Advise Tourists Not to Visit Armenia

“Tourists rent apartments. Some come not through travel agencies but on their own, and they do not always stay in hotels; they rent people’s homes. Therefore, this segment of society would also be affected,” Markaryan said.

At the same time, Makaryan said he that replacing the potential loss of the Russian tourism market with tourists from other countries in a short period of time would not be easy.

According to him, economic problems and rising airfares affect the mobility of European tourists, while the number of visits to Armenia by members of the Armenian diaspora is no longer as high as it used to be.

“It’s not as though Russian tourism can easily and smoothly be replaced by tourism from other countries,” the economist stressed.

Anna Navasardyan, a tourism sector expert, concurred. According to her, Armenia’s dependence on the Russian market is significant, as Russian citizens continue to represent one of Armenia’s main tourism markets.

“For Armenia, Russia is one of the most important markets in the tourism sector. Even from a professional perspective, when we assess the level of dependence, it is very high,” Navasardyan said.

She said she that if Armenia wants to reduce its dependence on a single market, it needs to actively work on attracting tourists from new markets.

In her assessment, the fact that July is considered a peak month for tourism, while tourist flows have already declined significantly in Armenia, is a warning sign that the government should reconsider its marketing policies in the tourism sector and its strategy for attracting new markets.

At the same time, commenting on Matviyenko’s statement, Navasardyan stressed that tourism should not be politicized.

“Tourism is about people interacting more, visiting new countries and discovering different cultures, rather than making political statements,” she said.

But are Russian tourists apt to listen to their government and consider not visiting Armenia?

At Yerevan’s Vernissage market, Russian tourist Vyacheslav Goren said he would not follow such a recommendation. “No, I would not follow that advice. I don’t see any problem.”

Goren added that the political tensions between Armenia and Russia would not be a reason for him to stop visiting Armenia.

“I see a political escalation between the two countries,” he said, adding that he approves of the policies pursued by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Another Russian tourist also said she would not follow such advice.

“Under no circumstances would we do that. Even if Russia gives such a recommendation, that does not mean that we Russians will stop visiting Armenia. If we want to come, we will come anyway,” the young woman said.

She added that she travels to Armenia without any restrictions and feels comfortable there.

Another Russian tourist said that a recommendation from Moscow would not change his decision to visit Armenia.

He explained that he has two passports, has friends in Armenia and has visited the country many times.

“I have friends here and I have been to Armenia many times already. I really like it here, so I will come anyway,” he said.

Another young couple suggested an alternative route: “I would go to another country, for example Kazakhstan, and then travel to Armenia. If I wanted to come, we would find a way.”