Armenia welcomed 1,041,598 tourists between January and June 2026, a 14.8 percent increase over the same period in 2025 and the highest first-half total ever recorded in the country’s tourism history, according to data released by the Tourism Committee of the Economy Ministry.
June alone brought 216,214 visitors, nearly identical to the 215,253 recorded in June 2025, an increase of less than one percent. While June’s growth was modest compared to the double-digit surges seen earlier in the year, the month still ranked among the strongest Junes on record, and the cumulative six-month figure places Armenia firmly on track to set a new annual high by year’s end.
Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan called it a record result for any January-June period.
Monthly arrivals in 2026 have exceeded their 2025 counterparts in every month so far. 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), and June ended at 216,214 (up from 215,253).
The highest number of tourist arrivals during the January-June period came from Russia (416,743 individuals or 40%), followed by Georgia (150,322 individuals, 15%) and Iran (81,180 individuals, 8%). The top ten source countries also included China (17,544; 2%), Germany (17,487; 2%), the United States (16,399; 2%), Ukraine (15,725; 1.5%), France (13,709; 1.3%), Italy (12,336; 1.2%), and India (9,105; 1%), with other countries collectively accounting for 26 percent of total arrivals. Russia’s 40 percent share continues the diversification trajectory that Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan has identified as a strategic priority through 2030, down from the 52 to 53 percent levels seen in earlier years.
By border entry, Zvartnots International Airport remained the primary gateway for visitors, accounting for 62 percent of total arrivals, up from 60 percent during the same period in 2025. It was followed by Bagratashen (18%), Bavra (10%), Meghri (6%), Gyumri Airport (2%), Gogavan (1.83%), and Ayrum (0.17%).
By gender, men made up approximately 58 percent of arrivals during the January-June period, while women accounted for 42 percent. In terms of age distribution, the largest group of visitors was working-age adults aged 35-44 at 25 percent, followed by 25-34 (20%), 45-54 (18%), 55-64 (13%), and 65 and older (8%). Visitors aged 18-24 accounted for 7 percent, those under 12 for 6 percent, and those aged 13-17 for 3 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 head of the Tourism Committee, Lusine Gevorgyan, 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.
