Sevan beach season 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sevan conquers back its territory

To the pleasure of ecologists and a horror of the owners of nearshore constructions, the level of water in the lake keeps rising. In 2010, the water level in the lake increased by 46 cm compared to 2009, and made 1899,71 meters as of December 31, 2010. The government of Armenia plans to raise the water level in the lake by 20 cm annually. According to the schedule, in 2031, the water level in Sevan is to rise up to 1903,5 meters. The water overflow brings forth the necessity of purification from both constructions and from nearby forests. In 2010, 174 hectares of area were purified; this year it is planned to purify 283 hectares.

Free beaches for holidaymakers

This year, the authorities decided to favor not only foreign tourists and local holidaymakers, ready to pay lots of money for having a rest exclusively on paid shores and expensive hotels but also ordinary people wishing to spend weekends on the shore of “the Armenian sea”. Namely for this reason, two first public beaches will be prepared soon, one of which will occupy 1.47 hectares on the Sevan peninsula, while another will take 0.67 hectares of the territory, adjoining to the city beach of Sevan town. These beaches are expected to be absolutely free of charge for visitors. Over the past two decades, majority of beaches were made paid, with local “entrepreneurs” grabbing money from those having a rest at “no man’s” beaches. This year, authorities pledges to combat such unlawfulness and impose penalties on the “businessmen” aspired for illegal profits.

We are not so rich to spend holidays in Armenia

Local tour agents are displeased with the fact that majority of Armenian people prefer to arrange their holiday schedule themselves. Meanwhile, the experience shows that prices for rest in Armenia are so high that for residents with an average income it is more advantageous to spend a vacation in the neighboring Georgia and Turkey.

However, according to head of Armenian Hotel Association Hakob Hakobyan, Armenian resorts will host more holidaymakers, as the hotel prices in Batumi and Antalya have considerably gone up. Hakobyan believes that 10 days in Georgia and Turkey for a 4-member will cost about $3000-$4000 while the holiday in Armenia will take about $1200.

It seems that Hakobyan meant prices for 5* Turkish and Georgian hotels which are, regretfully, not affordable for an average Armenian resident yet. However, Hakobyan withheld about the prices for similar hotels in Armenia, where a 10-day stay in a 5* hotel will cost around $1500 per one person.

Price dispersion for Sevan

Armenian travel agencies assert that, although the price list has not been made up yet, the rest on the Lake Sevan will cost local and foreign tourist, on the average, from AMD5000-35.000 and over. For AMD5000 (nearly $13) per day the tourist will be offered a cottage and breakfast. Whereas a double room in hotels on the very shore will cost tourists minimum AMD35 000 (some $93), not speaking about multi-star hotels with their own beaches, where you will spend $150 per person a day on average.

Sevan, Sirs!

Despite a striking beauty and energy, Sevan is not popular among foreign tourists, because of the lack of advertisement. Foreign tourists are lucky to see Sevan only if they find attractive tourist package.

Sevan is not to blame

Most people like Sevan in winter, when it is severe, steel-blue surrounded by snowy mountains, and in summer, when it is turquoise blue, glittering in the sun. They love its changing weather, cool water, frequent cold winds and sun burns, but not stiff prices for good hotels and untolerable conditions for affordable prices. They do not like “free” paid beaches, when they have to pay for possibility to rest one day on the shore, those bribe-takers and sand heaped up with food and other wastes. People don’t also like the water with plastic bottles and cups floating on the surface, as well as boggy beaches, infinite frogs in the lake. But Sevan is not absolutely to blame.