Mesrop Arakelyan, co-founder of the Country to Live party, has questioned recent claims by Armenia’s Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan regarding tourist spending during Jennifer Lopez’s concert.
In a Facebook post, Arakelyan pointed out that the minister’s assertion—that tourists spent an average of $888 during their visit—is inconsistent with official figures published by the Ministry of Economy itself.
“The person holding the post of Minister of Economy says tourists who came for the concert spent an average of $888,” Arakelyan wrote. “But when you open the ministry’s official research, it states that the average daily spending per tourist in Armenia is $51. Visitors from Russia, Georgia, and Iran spend between $35 and $47 per day.”
He concluded his post with a reference to a popular phrase by another former minister: “Wasn’t this you, man…?”
American singer Jennifer Lopez performed in Yerevan on August 3 as part of her Up All Night tour.
