Vacationing in Armenia — so close, yet so far
After studying abroad for seven years and finally returning to Armenia, I wanted to make this summer a special one by staying in my homeland and contributing to local tourism. Initially, a vacation in Armenia seemed like a fantastic idea, as Armenia is rich in natural resources, beautiful scenery, deep forests, breathtaking mountains and delicious food. As Armenia has an abundance of tourism and hospitality businesses and hotels, I thought I would easily find some convenient deals that would ensure a great time for my family in the heart of our beautiful and beloved homeland.
Despite the abundance of supply, however, finding a deal wasn’t as easy as it seemed. After hours of searching numerous platforms and making dozens of calls to find something nice and affordable in Armenia, I found my fingers replacing the keyword “Armenia” in the search bar with “Georgia.” It was both unexpected and saddening to see that, for the price of one night at an average hotel in Armenia (with only breakfast included), I could go all the way to Georgia by bus, stay there for six nights with an all-inclusive package covering three meals, and return to Armenia.
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Thank you Ms. Baghdasaryan for your realistic article. I am an Iranian manufacturer. Last summer I registered an engineering company in Yerevan and took part in Armenia Expo 2023. The costs of maintaining just a modest office in Yerevan prevented me and my German partner from going back to Armenia this summer. He believes living costs in Yerevan are even higher than in Cologne Germany!
Thank you, Ms. Baghdasaryan, for the very informative, factual and yet sad story. My colleagues as well prefer other neighboring countries due to Armenia’s high costs. As we all know, we are our worst enemy.
Thank you for the article. However it could be nice if you mentioned what a gem Lake Sevan is. The weather there the best in August. The color of the lake changes many times a day. It is not an ordinary lake or sea. It is in the mountains high ,really ,the numbers I forgot, google it, from the sea level. It has a surreal, otherworldly beauty. The island, the historic crossbones, medieval monasteries could attract certain kind of tourists, the arty ones, history lovers. Cheap does not mean good. Who needs the pools or glamor hotels. You kind find them anywhere. And I live in Nyc. Plenty of glamour hotels and pools here. Yes the prices should go down. But as a tourist I would still consider to visit the unique places, unforgettable and memorable places. So someone has to do a better job to entice the young and old to visit our holy land Armenia.