Russia accounts for 40% of Armenia’s 1.24 million tourist arrivals, while July sees a sharp year-on-year decline
Armenia recorded around 1.24 million tourist arrivals in the first seven months of 2026, an increase of about 7% year on year, according to figures released by the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy.
The growth was driven by strong visitor numbers during the first half of the year. However, July brought a notable reversal, with tourist arrivals falling 24.6% year on year to 198,709, compared with 263,592 in July 2025. The July figure was also slightly below the 202,322 visitors recorded in July 2019.
Despite the July decline, Armenia’s January-July total stood at approximately 1,240,307 tourist visits. The figure remains below the 1.26 million arrivals recorded during the same period in 2023, the year in which Armenia went on to register a record 2.33 million tourist arrivals.
Strong first-half performance
Arrivals remained above the corresponding 2025 levels in every month from January through June.
January recorded 179,409 visitors, followed by 121,285 in February, 152,444 in March, 172,705 in April, 199,541 in May and 216,214 in June.
The first half of 2026 therefore produced around 1.04 million tourist arrivals, representing a 14.8% increase over the same period in 2025 and the highest January-June result recorded in Armenia.
The government has set a target of approximately 2.2 million tourist visits for the full year, according to the Tourism Committee.
Russia remains dominant source market
Russia continued to be Armenia’s largest source market, accounting for 491,403 visitors, or 40% of total arrivals during January-July.
Georgia ranked second with 180,540 visitors, representing about 15%, while Iran contributed 102,723 arrivals, or 8%.
Other significant markets included the United States with 24,087 visitors, China with 22,934 and Germany with 19,968. Ukraine recorded 18,029 arrivals, followed by France with 15,959 and Italy with 13,528.
India contributed 9,807 tourist arrivals, accounting for roughly 1% of Armenia’s total inbound tourism during the seven-month period.
Zvartnots remains the main gateway
Zvartnots International Airport continued to handle the majority of international tourist arrivals, accounting for approximately 60% of the total, up from 59% during January-July 2025.
Among Armenia’s other entry points, Bagratashen accounted for 19%, Bavra 11% and Meghri 7%, while Gyumri Airport and Gogavan each accounted for around 2%.
Armenia’s tourism industry has shown a substantial recovery since the pandemic. Tourist arrivals rose from approximately 375,000 in 2020 to 870,000 in 2021 and 1.67 million in 2022, before reaching a record 2.33 million in 2023. Arrivals subsequently stood at 2.21 million in 2024 and 2.26 million in 2025.
The latest figures indicate that inbound tourism remains on a positive trajectory overall, although the sharp July contraction highlights the volatility of monthly visitor flows. Armenia’s tourism authorities are continuing to pursue measures under the country’s 2026-2030 tourism development strategy, which includes improving market competitiveness, facilitating tourist entry procedures and strengthening tourism marketing.
