Number of tourists visiting Armenia increased by 3% in 2009

PanARMENIAN.Net -
Despite of World Tourism Organization’s estimations about 4 per cent recession in the world tourism, the number of tourists visited Armenia in 2009 grew by 3 per cent, Mekhak Apresyan, head of Tourism Department of RA Ministry of Economy told a press conference in Yerevan today. According to him, in 2009 575 281 tourists visited Armenia. Most of them are residents of Georgia, Russia and Iran. Besides, tourists from Europe, the United States and Latin America visited Armenia last year.



To date the Government of Armenia has taken steps to turn Armenia into major tourism center of the region.

"We continue to develop programs for Jermuk and Tsakhkadzor, but we have to pay more attention to other regions of the country. The government will discuss the investment programs in the monastery complex of Tatev, "North Gate", resorts of Lori region ", - Mekhak Apresyan said.



The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international organization designed by its founders to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1947.



The World Trade Organization deals with regulation of trade between participating countries; it provides a framework for negotiating and formalising trade agreements, and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to WTO agreements which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments.Most of the issues that the WTO focuses on derive from previous trade negotiations, especially from the Uruguay Round (1986-1994).

The organization is currently endeavouring to persist with a trade negotiation called the Doha Development Agenda (or Doha Round), which was launched in 2001 to enhance equitable participation of poorer countries which represent a majority of the world's population. However, the negotiation has been dogged by "disagreement between exporters of agricultural bulk commodities and countries with large numbers of subsistence farmers on the precise terms of a 'special safeguard measure' to protect farmers from surges in imports. At this time, the future of the Doha Round is uncertain."



The WTO has 153 members,representing more than 97% of total world tradeand 30 observers, most seeking membership. The WTO is governed by a ministerial conference, meeting every two years; a general council, which implements the conference's policy decisions and is responsible for day-to-day administration; and a director-general, who is appointed by the ministerial conference. The WTO's headquarters is at the Centre William Rappard, Geneva, Switzerland.