Why does our money flow from our country to foreign resorts?
A New Year package is offered by one of the high rate hotels in Tsaghkadzor – 1 million 200 thousand drams per person. The package covers the period from December 31 to January 5, three times meal and a New Year show program. New Year packages with almost the same price, a little more or less, are offered by the same class of hotels B&B houses in other resorts of Armenia. Lower-class entertainment and recreation facilities are not so flexible, they are offering half the price with only breakfast included and the services are limited. Instead, the foreign tour packages offer quite flexible and “comfortable” conditions for these days.
If on the New Year’s Eve, the prices for the resort in Armenia are growing, in abroad, on the contrary, they fall. The high-class hotels which usually in non-holiday were charging 70-80 USD per person, develop convenient New Year packages – with a discount of almost half the price per day. When it comes to the differences in prices between the resorts in Armenia and abroad, the tourism responsible agencies of our country always argue that our prices are not high. And as to why are our compatriots prefer to rest in other, including in our neighboring country by saving hundreds of thousands of drams, the responsible of the tourism industry have no explanation.
If they explain that in the case of Georgia, the sea played a big role then in the winter, they cannot bring such an excuse. These days, the Internet is full of advertisements on resorts in Georgia, with more interesting and affordable offers from each other. And it is obvious that the affordable price was shaped as a result of competition. Almost all the resorts and hotels have lowered their prices for the New Year by elaborating flexible and affordable tour packages for the tourists, including even the transportation from Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan in the price. For comparison, a 4-star hotel in Tbilisi per person offers AMD 190 thousand for 6 days, including the travel cost, Christmas gala dinner, a show, performances of famous show business stars and other services.
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There are more flexible packages – USD 250-350 which is equivalent to 120-170 thousand drams which in addition to travel include also sightseeing tours of Georgia. On person AMD 400-500 thousand, from 800 to 1000 dollars for 7-8 day packages are offered by the resorts of the United Arab Emirates including the air tickets. To spend the New Year in Prague, the 5-day package for Armenian tourists will cost 750-800 euros. The resorts in Egypt are also offering flexible prices for the New Year – a 10-day package which includes unlimited food, show programs, air ticket from Yerevan and other hotel services are 950-1000 dollars, in other words, much more affordable than our resorts offer. The New Year offers by Italy are also affordable compared to other seasons.
The tour operators offer tour packages equivalent to AMD 650-750 euros to spend 5 days in Italy. The New Year tour packages offered by Jerusalem are reduced by 200-250 dollars, instead of USD 1000-1100, you pay 800-850 dollars for the 8-day trip.
Lusine BUDAGHYAN
