Tourism Numbers: Armenia welcomed 1,041,598 foreign tourists in Jan–Jun 2026, up 14.8% year-on-year, with Russia (40%) leading, followed by Georgia and Iran. Hotel Standards: Armenia’s Hotel Association won the tender to assign star ratings under Hotelstars Union rules, aligning local classification with international criteria over the next decade. New Investment Push: Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan met Global Tribe Gaming on a planned $500M Yerevan hotel–entertainment–gaming complex (with a $40M adjacent real-estate component) expected to create about 1,000 jobs. Tourism Infrastructure Funding: The World Bank’s TRIP program is set to invest €120M in tourism clusters across Goris, Areni, Jermuk, Yeghegis, Dvin, Gyumri and Dilijan, spanning wine, wellness, adventure, culture and ecotourism. Scam Alert: IDBank warns of hotel booking scams where messages urge travelers to “urgently confirm card details” via fake payment pages. Regional Travel Risk: Russia’s Matviyenko says Moscow may advise against travel to Armenia if Russian citizens keep facing arrests there. Church & Court: Catholicos Karekin II and six bishops go on trial over alleged obstruction of a court order—an issue that could affect public life around Etchmiadzin.