Blogger says expensive air tickets, hotels deter tourists from Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Alexander Lapshin, a Russian-Israeli blogger who was imprisoned in Baku for visiting Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) and freed several months later, is unable to understand why air tickets to Armenia and hotels in the country are so expensive.

“Now I'm in Egypt, but I'll fly from Israel to Yerevan in a week," said the blogger, adding that the minimum price for a one-way ticket is 180 euros, whereas to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi a ticket costs 86 euros.

According to him, it is nearly impossible to find a mid-range hotel under 50 euros in the Armenian capital.

“I lived in London for 50 euros in the center of the city, which means that there are not enough hotels [in Yerevan],” he added.

The blogger revealed that his mother is a retiree who is able to spend a week in Paris, Rome or Barcelona spending 500 euros from her pension on the air tickets and accommodation, but a trip to Armenia is too expensive for her.

“Armenia with its massive potential could attract millions of tourists and earn billions of dollars. But in practice, 7 million guests visit Georgia each year, and 1.5 million prefer Armenia,” Lapshin says.

As reported earlier, Lapshin is expected to arrive in Armenia to participate in the 5th international tourism fair, In Tour Expo 2018, where he is set to talk about travel.