SOME 380,000 TOURISTS EXPECTED TO VISIT ARMENIA IN 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: Deputy trade and economic development minister Ara Petrosian said yesterday $400,000 released by the government to pay the CNN for advertising Armenia would be recompensed if the reels prompted some 400 more tourists to come to Armenia as an average foreign tourist spends around $1000 to come to Armenia and spend here a week.
The deputy minister said the efficiency of Armenia’s advertisement on CNN could be assessed clearly only in 1-3 years. Petrosian said approximate estimates put the number of tourists who will have visited Armenia this year at 380,000.
In a related development owners of Armenian hotels convened yesterday to set up the Union of Armenian Hotels. Hakob Hakobian, the chairman of the Union, said they hope to join efforts to seek solutions to a set of problems Armenian hotels still face. He said the focus will be on training skilled personnel and advertising Armenian hotels beyond A