News - Economy minister: Government wants to regulate Armenia tourism sector

The Armenian government wants to ensure the regulation of the tourism sector. This was announced by Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan during the second and final reading of the package of bills on tourism and the package of amendments to related laws at Friday’s special session of the National Assembly of Armenia. According to him, it is about making important reforms in the tourism sector of the country. "The objective of these reforms is to solve all the problems and challenges facing this sector and hindering its development," said Kerobyan. According to the minister, tourism is a priority branch of the economy, and is interconnected with some other sectors. That is why, under the aforesaid package of bills, certain activities of tourism service providers are subject to notification. Clear standards and requirements will be set for the travel service providers of Armenia. In order to protect the rights of consumers, certain requirements have been set, including signing contracts, providing financial guarantees, etc. According to Kerobyan, there is no quality control system for guide services in Armenia today. Therefore, the activities of the tour guides will be subject to a report. In addition, guidelines will be required to obtain a respective license—but only after certification and in accordance with certain standards.