Tourism makes a significant contribution to the economic, social and environmental well-being of Artsakhians. The impact of tourism goes beyond creating jobs and providing foreign exchange and revenue. One of the main outcomes of tourism development is, of course, a the strengthening of the national brand of Artsakh and its international profile.

With revenues of approximately 3.5 billion AMD in 2015, (1.5 percent of GDP) in the economy of Artsakh, tourism sector has more to do for further generations. In 2015 15.5 percent of tourism growth was registered according to the Ministry of Economy of the – NKR.

Artsakh, being the land of ancient historical monuments and magnificent landscapes always has something to offer, and its glorious traditions and rich cultural heritage are linked with the development of tourism. Its picturesque canyons, healthy environment and mineral and hot springs attract visitors from all over the world.

This is also a result of marketing and PR activities focused on development and promotion of favorable image of NKR as a competitive travel destination. It is worth to mention that the main part of activities for development of tourism was made by the department of tourism in accordance with the program of tourism development.

So what should we know about tourism in Artsakh in 2015 and what main events contributed to the development of tourism in this travel destination? We will find out in the following article.

In 2015:

• NKR participated at five international tourism exhibitions, festivals and forums held in Armenia;
• A meeting was organized in Moscow with Russian tour operators and journalists, where tourism potential of Artsakh was presented and some essential arrangements were made;
• Two hotels were registered, reaching the total amount of hotels to 43 (or 1279 beds);
• A travel agency and four tour operators received registration certificates;
• As a result of starting the guides licensing program, 4 guides, engaged in tourism activities have received the licenses;
• Recent years more than forty road signboards have been set near the main travel attractions, making the sites more accessible for tourists;
• Two festivals were organized during the previous year: Mulberry festival near Amaras monastery and Artsakh Wine Festival in Togh village. The total amount of the guests at these festivals was about six thousand people, including tourists from Armenia and abroad;
• The first travel guidebook about Artsakh was released in English;
• The official travel website of NKR was visited by thousands of people, interested in tourism sites of Artsakh. Several official pages on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, Youtube, VK, etc. have been updated during the whole year;
• 4 Information centers hosted about 8000 visitors;
• Artsakh travel potential was widely promoted in European mass media: the articles were published in Italian “Corierre della Sera” and «Messagerio di Saint Antonio», German “Die Welt” and in British“Wanderlust” informational web sites websites;
• In recent two years Tigranakert state reserve;
• Hosted more than 20 thousand tourists becoming one of the main tourist attractions in Artsakh;
• Two advertising spots were published.

All the statistics and data are received from the department of tourism of the Ministry of economy of NKR as a responsible authority for tourism sphere in this country.