If you've searched Google for private medical insurance that covers expats in Armenia then you are probably for looking for trusted UK based health insurance companies that can cover your medical expenses in Armenia.
Living as an expat in Armenia you want to avoid any unwanted and unexpected medical costs. In some countries these can amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds for very serious conditions.
Our advice when shopping around for private medical insurance that covers expatriates living in Armenia is to speak to a insurance broker. Health insurance is very complicated and if you want absolute certainty that Armenia is covered you should talk with a broker who can explain which policy providers will cover medical costs for expatriates in Armenia and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a insurance broker but the largest by far is that you're using their industry experience at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than by you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different postcodes? Some will give you a lower premium than offers. A insurance broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance policy? A broker will know this vital information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different insurance policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain medical condition and want to know which insurer offers the largest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you huge amounts of time and effort.
You can call around every medical insurance provider you can find and ask if they provider cover for expats in Armenia, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its far far quicker to speak to one health insurance broker which will know which providers on the market offer cover for expats in Armenia and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
Armenia Information
Tourism in Armenia has been a key sector to the Armenian economy since the 1990s when tourist numbers exceeded half a million people visiting the country every year (mostly ethnic Armenians from the Diaspora). The Armenian Ministry of Economy reports that most international tourists come from Russia, EU states, the United States and Iran. Though relatively small in size, Armenia has four UNESCO world heritage sites.
Despite internal and external problems, the number of incoming tourists has been continually increasing since 2007. 2019 saw a record high of over 1.9 million inbound tourists. Most tourists focus their trip in Yerevan, the capital, where the majority of travel agencies, attractions and hotels are located.
Outdoor activities, sightseeing and nature tourism seem to be the primary attractions. Tsaghkadzor, Jermuk, Dilijan are known as mountainous resorts, which are outside of the capital. Tourists stay at the hotels of those towns in order to engage in extended trips over all Armenia without returning to Yerevan every day. The classical sightseeing trips to Armenia are popular not only among tourists, but also with the local population. Mountaineering, camping, hiking and other kinds of outdoor activities are also common.
In February 2020, the UN's World Tourism Organization reported that Armenia is one of the world’s fastest growing tourist destinations according to the latest statistics. Armenia ranked 12th with 14.4% growth in the list of 20 fastest growing countries for tourism, according to data gathered.
In October 2019, chief executive of Ryanair stated that Armenia has become one of Europe's fastest growing tourist destinations, during an announcement of launching new Ryanair flight routes between several European cities and Armenia.
As per the 2019 Travel and Tourism competitiveness report, Armenia scored 7th-best in the world on the Hotel Price Index. It also scored 3rd-best in Europe on tourist-friendly visa requirements. Overall, Armenia scored 79th of 140 countries. Calculation of overall scores includes some controversial subcategories related to country size (e.g. number of large sports stadiums), estimates based on old data (like 2014 data for aircraft departures) and non-applicable data (in case of landlocked Armenia - quality of ports infrastructure). Out of 140 countries Armenia ranked: 50 on Enabling Environment Subindex, 74 on Travel & Tourism Policy and Enabling Conditions Subindex, 81 on Infrastructure Subindex, 103 on Natural and Cultural Resources and Business Travel Subindex.
Forbes Magazine listed Armenia among top budget travel destinations for 2019. Meanwhile, CNN has ranked Armenia's capital Yerevan as one of the top 20 most beautiful European cities.
In July 2019, the chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia, Artur Javadyan, stated that the average spending of tourists had increased by more than 17 per cent from 2013 to 2018 and roughly 300 new hotels opened over the last six years.
Currently, the majority of tourists arriving in Armenia are from the member states of the European Union, CIS countries including Russia and Kazakhstan, and also from Georgia, Iran, the United States and increasingly from Asia, in particular China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and India. In addition, due to ongoing cultural and education system reforms, thousands of students from India, Iran and Arabic countries started to visit Armenia in order to study in the main universities of Yerevan, especially at the Yerevan State Medical University, promoting further tourism.
Armenia also has the capability to hold both regional political and large-scale international conferences and events. For example, Armenia hosted the Plenary meeting of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in 2015 as well as ongoing Eastern Partnership and CIS conferences. In October 2018, Armenia hosted the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie Summit for the first time, where representatives of 54 countries participated. In November 2018, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation was held in Yerevan. In September 2019, Armenia hosted the European Heritage Days, Armenia also hosted the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in July and the World Information Technology and Services Alliance Congress for the first time, in which 2000 delegates from around 83 countries participated. Also in 2019, Armenia hosted the Eurasian Economic Union Summit in Yerevan, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, as well as the Summit of Minds international conference, making Armenia the first country to host the event outside of France.
In August 2020, the President of Armenia, Armen Sarksyan, announced that Armenia will host the sixth Starmus Festival from September 6 to 11, 2021. The event will be sponsored by the President himself, as well as, the Ministry of Education and Science. The event will bring together world-class scientists, artists, astronauts, and the general public to celebrate science communication and to share latest discoveries in a number of scientific fields.