The top destinations for international tourists visiting Armenia in 2024 outside Yerevan are Lake Sevan, Lori Province and the renowned resort towns of Dilijan and Tsaghkadzor, according to a travel agency.

Rima Travel agency director Rima Khachatryan told Armenpress that the preferences of the international toursits in Armenia have changed over the past years.

“In the past, tourists visiting Armenia mostly preferred the Noravank, Tatev Monastery, Khndzoresk and the Devil’s Bridge destinations, but this year it has changed. The tourists prefer the destinations to Sevan, Dilijan and Tsaghkadzor, as well as Lori, which is highly in demand this year,” Khachatryan said.

Adventure and extreme tourism is on the rise, she added.

The number of inbound tourists in the first half of 2024 has dropped 6,1%.

This has been explained by the decreasing number of tourists from Russia, which has traditionally had the biggest share in the inbound tourism.

In January-July 2024, a total of 1,184,000 tourists visited Armenia, according to Anush Babayan, the Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Tourism Committee.

“In January-July of 2024, the number of tourists from Russia to Armenia was around 500 thousand, which is a 23 percent decrease compared to the previous year’s same period. Visits from Russia comprise around 42 percent of the total visits,” she said.

Meanwhile, tourism from India, the Philippines and China has been growing.

Most tourists come from Russia, Georgia, Iran and the United States, as previously, the official said.

“These are the main countries that are the main market for Armenia. These countries are followed by European countries, such as France and Germany, and a number of countries of other regions,” Babayan said.

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1198937