Armenia expects to receive one million tourists from Russia by the end of the year.

Armenia expects about 1 million tourists from Russia by the end of 2025, at least the results of the number of visits in the first nine months indicate that the goal is achievable. This was stated to Izvestia by Lusine Gevorgyan, Chairman of the Armenian Tourism Committee.

"The main stream [from Russia] comes to us precisely for tourist purposes — recreation, acquaintance with culture and gastronomy, participation in festivals. At the same time, due to convenient flights, Armenia is also used as a transit hub, but the share of transit trips is noticeably less," she said.

According to the estimates of the Armenian Tourism Committee, approximately 75-80% of Russians come to the republic specifically for recreation, and only 20-25% use the country as a transit route.

In Armenia, they assure that although their country is not a beach destination — and most Russians choose this type of vacation — the tourist attraction of the republic lies elsewhere: unique nature, ancient history, rich cuisine, wine culture and hospitality.

"Many travelers from Russia discover Armenia as a country of "short bright trips" — just a 2-3-hour flight, without a language barrier and with a sense of cultural proximity. At the same time, recreation here can be very diverse: from walks in Yerevan and ancient temples to skiing in Tsakhkadzor or wine tours in Areni," explained Lusine Gevorgyan.

According to statistics, on average, tourists from Russia come to Armenia for 4-7 days, most often tourists stay in 3-4* hotels and boutique hotels. As for seasonality, there are four distinct seasons in Armenia: excursions and flowering in spring, outdoor recreation in summer, wine and gastronomic tourism in autumn, skiing and winter holidays in winter.

Island of Approach: Russia and Japan discuss resumption of direct flights

Even despite their absence, the tourist flow between the countries has been growing significantly for the second year in a row.

In September, Izvestia was informed by several flight and accommodation booking services that the number of holiday requests during the New Year holidays had doubled compared to 2024.

So, according to "Fly.<url>", the level of demand for holidays with arrivals from December 31 to January 10, 2026 is almost twice as high as in 2024.