ArmInfo. Armenia is introducing an electronic registry of tourism service providers. As a result, only those registered in this electronic system will be able to work in the tourism sector. The initiative was approved by the government at a meeting on February 12.
According to the explanatory note to the document, the new tourism legislation requires notification of the activities of tourism service providers, effective September 1, 2024. It is noted that this legislative amendment will promote the protection of consumer rights established by law in the event of a tourism organization's failure to fulfill its obligations in the Republic of Armenia, the introduction of mechanisms to control the provision of accurate information about Armenia and the Armenian tourism product, and the improvement of tourism sector statistics.
Currently, the tourism sector faces a situation that negatively impacts the competitive environment. Numerous tourism service providers, most of them without state registration, operate as tour operators, travel agents, hotel providers, tourist transportation providers, guides, and escorts. They provide low- quality services, represent Armenia and Armenian cultural heritage to the best of their ability and vision, and generally have no employees or jobs, pay no taxes. Naturally, they offer services at incomparably lower prices than bona fide entrepreneurs, who are already facing the threat of being forced out of the market.
The draft law proposes establishing the content, procedure, and forms for submitting and maintaining information on tourism service providers registered in the electronic registry. The introduction of the electronic registry will ensure the availability of quality services, a level playing field for competition in the tourism sector, and the transparency and accessibility of existing information, according to the draft resolution initiated by the Ministry of Economy.
Thus, after industry representatives register on the unified platform, they will receive certificates from the Ministry of Economy. Companies providing false information will face not only administrative but also criminal liability. A point-based performance evaluation system for tourism service providers will also be introduced (based on the assessment of those who have used these services).
The adoption of the bill is expected to promote the proper and transparent operation of tourism service providers, a level playing field for competition, high-quality services, and accessibility of information. The adoption of the bill will also improve tourism statistics.
According to data from the RA Tourism Committee, 2.26 million tourists visited Armenia in 2025, a 2.7% increase from the previous year. Traditionally, the lion's share of tourists are citizens of the Russian Federation (41% or 921.7 thousand people), followed by tourists from Georgia (13% or 288.5 thousand people), Iran (8% or 182.3 thousand people), the USA (3% or 60.8 thousand people), China (2% or 44.6 thousand people), Germany (1.5% or 34.1 thousand people), India and Ukraine (1.2% each or 28.4 thousand and 27.6 thousand respectively), Italy (1% or 22.6 thousand people), etc. At the same time, people in the 35-44 age category (33%) prefer to vacation in Armenia most of all, followed by the 25-34 age category (16%), 45-54 years old (15%), 55-64 years old (11%), over 65 years old (8%), 18-24 years old (7%), under 12 (6%), 13-17 years old (4%).
According to the RA Strategic Tourism Development Program for 2026-2030, as a result of proper implementation of the Strategy and the corresponding Action Plan, by 2030, industry revenues will reach $3.8 billion, state budget revenues will amount to approximately $750 million, and approximately 20,000 additional jobs will be created.
