Bekor Papazyan: first hotels at Tatev monastery to be opened by 2013

August 24, 2010 - 17:33 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia Bekor Papazyan said that the first hotels at Tatev monastery complex will be opened by 2013. Meanwhile, it is planned to increase the number of tourists and develop the southern corridor from Noravank to Goris by that time, Papazyan told a press conference.

Referring to reasons of high prices for hotel services in Armenia, he pointed to low demand in this field. “If a sharp growth is recorded in the number of tourists, the number of hotels will also increase, facilitating competition, while large businessmen will prefer the policy of availability, earning money due to great number of visitors,” said Papazyan.

For his part, Vice Chairman of the Association of Hotels of Armenia Hakob Hakobyan noted that in other tourist countries, like Turkey and Georgia, where Armenian tourists prefer to spend their vacations, the tax field is more favorable for tourism development.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Association of Tour Operators of Armenia Robert Minasyan noted that Armenia's hotels are occupied only by 25-30%, as prices are unreasonable and it scares tourists.