Traditionally Armenians lay festive tables during New Year from December 31 and refresh them daily up until “Old New Year”, January 13. The feast table usually includes a pork shoulder, turkey, meat pancakes, tolma, ishli kufta, pasuts tolma (fasting tolma), various salads, dried fruits, sweets, cakes, beverages, etc., which according to the most humble calculations, need at least 150,000-200,000 drams (about $390-$520).

Taking into consideration the price hikes for foodstuffs registered during the recent one year (according to data of the National Statistical Service, in January-November 2011, 8.1 percent inflation was registered in Armenia, as compared to the same period last year), many Armenians rush to buy food for the New Year celebration as soon as possible, trying to avoid the additional price hike usually registered at the end of each year.

“Prices of everything rise year by year; last year I bought each kilo of pork for 2,500 drams ($6.50), now it costs 3,800 drams (about $9). As for the beef, its price rose from 2,000 drams (about $5) to 3,000 drams (about $7) per kilo. What a New Year?! We barely make both ends meet,” says 64-year-old cook Alvard Petrosyan.

Rima Torosyan, manager of Star, one of the major trade networks in Armenia (currently it has 27 shops and each serves more than 275,000 customers a week), says that there will be no essential price hikes in their supermarkets.

“During the previous two weeks price hikes have been registered for vegetable-fruit products, which, of course, is typical to this [holiday] period. Caterers have changed cheese and beef prices, raising them by 100 drams (about 25 cents) per kilo,” says Torosyan adding that their supermarkets make New Year special offers. “For example, during this week’s special offer, the price of dried prune, which is in great demand during these days, was dropped by 1,150 drams (about $3 per kilo).”

During recent years in spite of inflation and the world economic crisis, a great number of people who are financially secure, prefer spending the New Year rest at rest houses and hotels outside Yerevan, trying to avoid the New Year hustle.

“The number of people who spend New Year in [local] resorts and abroad increases year by year,” says Ani Sahakyan, manager of local tourism at Infinity Travel Tour Agency, adding that by late November the rest houses (where the rest package for one person for four days ranges from 95,000 drams (about $250) to 800,000 drams (about $2,100) depending on services) in the most beloved resorts in Armenia – Tsaghkadzor, Aghveran, Dilijan, and Jermuk, were almost full.

“Even though the hotels have raised their prices by about 20 percent ahead of New Year, there have been no (holiday) vacancies for about a month,” Sahakyan says.

Tourist agents say that it is much more expensive to spend New Year in provinces of Armenia than abroad, that is why people prefer leaving the country during the holidays.

“The prices are illogically high in Armenia, in some cases, much higher than the prices offered in Egypt, Dubai, or Turkey. Maybe the reason is that the places for having a rest [in Armenia] are few and the demand is high,” says Armen Himosyan, manager of ‘Aria Tours’ tourism agency, who says that the number of people who leave for Georgia has been increased within the recent two years.

“People leave for Bakuriani (a skiing resort in the Borjomi district of Georgia, some 200 km from Tbilisi) quite often, where two people spending four days and five nights in a three-star hotel pay about $800, which includes three-time food and a feast for the New Year Eve. Meanwhile, there are no such places with such prices and conditions in Armenia,” Himosyan says.