As Armenia prepares to host the 8th UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism between 11-13 September 2024, we round up the top wine regions and vineyards in the country that oenophiles shouldn't miss.
Before written history began, when humans first abandoned flint and began to fashion tools from copper and bronze, the Armenians were making wine. Indigenous grapes, cultivated in the country’s vast, mountainous valleys, were aged in cave-kept clay caskets called karas and churned into wine using various ancient methods for over 6,000 years. Today, Armenian vintners continue to till the land, working with the helter-skelter topography to create unique vintages and preserve the nation’s intangible viniculture heritage. This dedication to their craft has been recognised as Armenian wines continue to increase in global popularity and the country has been selected to host the 8th UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism this year. Here’s how to plan a grape escape of the country’s vineyards.
Seeking worry-free travel? Head to culturally-rich Armenia, one of the world’s safest countries
Armenia has ranked within the top 10 safest destinations in the world, according to Numbeo’s safety index for 2024.
BBC Travel has published an article about the Armenian alphabet. Sugato Mukherjee, the author of the article entitled “How a 1,600-year-old alphabet shaped Armenian identity", has noted that the Armenian alphabet is not just a writing system, but it's also a numerical system used for mathematical calculations and recording calendar dates, as well as a national point of pride.
Armenia is the 7th safest country in the world, according to NUMBEO. The analytical platform’s Crime Rate and Safety Index by Country report has ranked Armenia 7th out of 146 countries, while the city of Yerevan is 15th out of 329 cities.
On May 17, after a 12-year pause, Riga-Yerevan-Riga flight of Latvian national carrier airBaltic was welcomed at Zvartnots International Airport.
Numbeo's latest Crime Index by Country for 2023 has ranked Armenia seventh safest country out of 142 countries in the world. Qatar has been ranked the safest country in the world. This is the fifth year in a row that Qatar has claimed the top spot, marking a continuation of the distinctive position enjoyed by the country globally in terms of safety.
South Korea’s Naver Z, a Naver Group subsidiary that runs the 3D-avatar app ZEPETO expressed readiness to cooperate with Armenia and include the country’s tourism hotspots in the program. As part of a media tour organized by the Korean Culture and Information Service, ARMENPRESS’s Editor-in-Chief Shant Khlghatyan met with Iris Son, Global Business Development Manager of Nazer Z.
CNN has listed Armenia among 23 of the best hiking trails in the world. “Easily overlooked, Armenia has some of the best walking trails in Europe,” CNN Travel says. “The 11-day Armenia and the Silk Road trip takes in some of its finest routes, connecting the UNESCO protected monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat, passing over limestone peaks and through verdant forests, with the opportunity to hike in the wild Geghama Mountains and climb to the top of Aragats, the country's tallest mountain.”
Belgian Le Vif Weekend online journal has published the list of the best architectural monuments relating to the heritage of the Ancient Roman Period (754/753 BC – 476 AD). The Armenian Temple of Garni is included in the list of the top 51 most beautiful monuments. It is the 37th in the list. The Temple of Garni is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Built in the Ionic order in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia.
Armenia has been nominated for World Travel Awards 2021 in two categories:
World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2021։ Armenia
World’s Leading Cable Car Ride 2021: Wings of Tatev
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector in Armenia saw some activeness in the summer, according to data released by the Tourism Committee. A total of 313,396 tourists visited Armenia in the summer, while the figure for January-August stood at 488,558.
Armenia is one of the two top tourism destinations for Russians for 2021 autumn, according to a leading Russian tourism platform. A survey conducted by TuTu showed that Russian tourists prefer Armenia and Kyrgyzstan for this season.
Eurowings airline is launching a new direct connection and will fly its passengers from Cologne/Bonn to the Armenian capital Yerevan for the first time. Starting August 6, every Friday, an Airbus A320 takes off for Armenia at 2.20 pm, arriving at 8.40 pm. The return flight departs on the same day at 9.30 p.m. and lands at Cologne/Bonn Airport at 00.20 am the next day. All flight times are local times, the airline said in a news release.
Forbes has included Armenia among seven impressive destinations that can be visited despite Covid-19. The publication advises to taste the oldest cognac in the world. “History says that this wine brandy was already distilled in those lands in the time of the Babylonians. Ararat Cognac – which is named after the mountain located on the border between Armenia and Turkey – gives off an aroma of nuts, spices, dark chocolate and vanilla. The secret lies in its production, through local grape varieties with unique properties, thanks to the microclimate of the Ararat Valley, and an ancient method of double distillation and aging in Armenian oak barrels,” author Eva Pla writes.
Germany's most popular leisure airline expands destination portfolio for vacations with family and friends in the world's oldest Christian country. First destination in the Caucasus: Condor will be the only German airline to offer direct flights to the Armenian capital Yerevan from July 30, 2021. Every Friday, Condor will fly to the metropolis and largest city in the country from Frankfurt with a night flight. In addition to the impressive nature and the world cultural heritage sites of the early Christian monasteries, the country offers a millennia-old and special wine culture. Tickets can be booked now from 199.99 euros per person and route at www.condor.com, in travel agencies and with various tour operators.
