Armenia welcomed 290,016 tourists in September 2026, a 26.6 percent increase year-over-year, making it the highest monthly figure in the first nine months of the year, according to the Tourism Committee of the Economy Ministry. The total number of visitors from January to September 2026 reached 1,757,349, 1.3 percent above the 1,734,247 recorded during the same period in 2025.
September’s 290,016 arrivals also set an all-time September record, surpassing the previous high of 260,618 in September 2023 by 11.3 percent and exceeding September 2019’s 221,507 by 31 percent.
The result reverses a two-month summer decline that had pulled 2026 below the prior year’s pace for the first time, after back-to-back drops of 24.6 percent in July and 32.1 percent in August. September’s arrivals were roughly 28 percent above August’s 227,026, erasing the deficit in a single month. The nine-month total remains 5 percent behind the January-September 2023 pace of 1,849,973, when Armenia went on to record its all-time annual high of 2.33 million visitors.
Monthly arrivals in 2026 have now exceeded their 2025 counterparts in seven of nine months: January saw 179,409 visitors (up from 139,482), February brought 121,285 (up from 117,372), March recorded 152,444 (up from 129,887), April reached 172,705 (up from 123,705), May closed at 199,541 (up from 181,436), June ended at 216,214 (up from 215,253), and September reached 290,016 (up from 229,124). July and August were the exceptions, dropping to 198,709 (from 263,592) and 227,026 (from 334,396) respectively.
The highest number of tourist arrivals during the January-September period came from Russia (704,935 individuals or 40%), followed by Georgia (241,002 individuals, 14%) and Iran (146,340 individuals, 8%). The top ten source countries also included China (38,474; 2%), the United States (37,856; 2%), Germany (29,550; 2%), Ukraine (24,311; 1.38%), France (23,909; 1.36%), Italy (19,064; 1%), and Belarus (12,394; 1%), with other countries collectively accounting for 27.26 percent of total arrivals. Belarus entered the top ten for the first time in 2026, displacing India which had held a spot throughout the earlier months.
By border entry, Zvartnots International Airport continued to serve as the primary gateway for visitors, accounting for 59 percent of total arrivals, down from 60 percent during the same period in 2025. It was followed by Bagratashen (21%, up from 20%), Bavra (10.24%, up from 10%), Meghri (6.4%, up from 5%), Gyumri Airport (2%), Gogavan (2%), and Ayrum (1%).
By gender, men made up approximately 55 percent of all arrivals, while women accounted for 45 percent, continuing a gradual narrowing from the roughly 60-40 split that held through the first half of 2026. In terms of age distribution, the largest group of visitors was working-age adults aged 35-44 at 24 percent, followed by 45-54 (18%), 25-34 (18%), 55-64 (13%), and 65 and older (8%), with under 12 at 8 percent, 18-24 at 7 percent, and 13-17 at 4 percent.
Armenia recorded 1.89 million arrivals in 2019, which fell sharply to 375,000 in 2020 due to the pandemic, before rebounding to 870,000 in 2021, 1.67 million in 2022, a record 2.33 million in 2023, 2.21 million in 2024, and 2.26 million in 2025. The Tourism Committee has stated that Armenia expects to welcome at least 3 million tourists annually within the next five years, a figure equivalent to the country’s population, with projections reaching 5 million within a decade.
