ArmInfo. Instead of becoming a center of excellence in tourism, Armenia continues to lose ground in the tourism sector. This was stated in a report by the Luys Foundation, whose experts analyzed the "Tourism Development Index 2026" report published by the World Economic Forum.
According to the report, Armenia's tourism safety index has deteriorated sharply. Specifically, Armenia ranks 72nd out of 110 countries with a tourism development index of 3.81. Thus, since 2019, Armenia's rating has dropped by 8 places (from 64th to 72nd). This means that many countries that previously occupied more unfavorable positions have overtaken Armenia. "Our country is losing competitiveness year after year, despite the growing number of tourists due to external factors (Russian-Ukrainian, Middle Eastern armed conflicts, etc.). Meanwhile, various representatives of the current government constantly declare significant achievements in the tourism sector, justifying the ever-increasing bonuses for tourism officials. Armenia's index is 6.4% below the global average (4.07 points) and 13.2% below the average index for the Europe and Eurasia regional group (4.39 points)," the Foundation's analysis states.
Its experts also drew attention to the fact that Armenia recorded a deterioration in both the indicator and its position in the "Travel and Tourism Policy and Enabling Environment" subindex. The decline in the "Travel and Tourism Priorities" column is most alarming. of this sub-index and a drop of 8 positions in the ranking. "This is the best evidence that the increase in the number of tourists in recent years is not the result of the effective implementation of state strategies or targeted budget programs, but simply a consequence of the favorable impact of external geopolitical factors. The state demonstrated "passive management", relying mainly on "spontaneous growth." The decline recorded in the "Price Competitiveness" column of the same sub-index reflects the loss of Armenia's competitive advantage as an affordable tourist destination due to the strengthening of the dram and domestic inflation. A sharp deterioration is also recorded in the "Safety and Security" column of the "Favorable Environment" sub-index, with a decrease of 8 horizontal points. According to the database, which is an integral part of the report, international assessments of Armenia are dominated by perceptions of geopolitical instability, border tensions, and military-political risks. "This demonstrates that government agencies have failed to allay concerns about Armenia's security on international insurance and tourism platforms," the Foundation emphasized in its statement.
Furthermore, according to its experts, "tourism resources" is the most alarming subindex for Armenia. "According to this assessment, our country ranks almost twice as poorly as the global average, at 48.2%." The subindex's ranking has dropped three places, placing Armenia third from the bottom among 110 countries. Our country's disgraceful position in the subindex is a consequence of the systemic failure of government policy in this sector. According to the World Economic Forum's methodology, tourism resources are assessed not by a country's historical, cultural, or natural potential, but by its digital visibility. The volume of search queries for natural and cultural attractions in Armenia is limited. Due to the ineffectiveness of government marketing campaigns, the number of mentions in UNESCO lists and interest in the country in global search engines (Google, Wikipedia, TripAdvisor) are extremely low. Meanwhile, the relevant authorities of neighboring countries are much more successful in presenting their country in a "favorable light" to various international organizations, stakeholders, and potential tourists. In other words, Armenia is unable to translate its real resources into digital international recognition, which testifies to the ineffectiveness of government policy in this sector. The fact that the "Infrastructure and Services" sub-index is significantly below the world average at 19.1% confirms that infrastructure remains one of the weakest aspects of Armenian tourism. The score for the "Tourism Services and Infrastructure" component of this sub-index is 25.4% below the world average. One of the main reasons for this is uneven territorial development. Outside the capital, various unresolved issues remain (quality of life, transportation, services, the prevalence of modern payment systems, etc.). Armenia continues to occupy an extremely disadvantageous position compared to its main regional competitors in terms of tourism development. According to the report, Armenia's Tourism and Travel Development Index and its 2026 ranking are significantly lower than all three neighboring countries included in the report: Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Among the countries of the Eurasian subregion, Armenia is higher in the index only than Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and of the 21 post-socialist countries, only four have a lower index than Armenia," the Foundation's analytical material states.
It adds that the results of the 2026 report confirm the existence of serious problems hindering the development of Armenia's tourism sector. The low Tourism and Travel Development Index, insignificant growth rates, and continued deterioration of an already unfavorable rating year after year indicate that Armenia, instead of becoming a center of excellence in tourism (as the current government claims), continues to lose ground in the tourism sector. Moreover, the significant growth in tourist flows recorded in recent years is not the result of effective government policy or structural reforms, but simply the favorable influence of temporary external geopolitical factors. Meanwhile, it is clear that without decentralized infrastructure development, increased visibility of national resources on international platforms, and clear and targeted government support, sustainable and inclusive growth in the tourism sector cannot be expected.
