REGIONAL POST CAUCASUS Armenian Independence

Karen Antashyan The founder of “Barev Armenia” travel agency

on tourism industry Arthur Gevorgyan Lumen

Northern Avenue hosts tourism expo

Serzh Sargsyan at the session of the supreme council of the Eurasian Economic Union, 2016 Pan Photo Pan

I nbound tourism market of independent as homeland and to start visiting here memorial complex) are of great interest Armenia has experienced significant together with their families, or in groups among such tourists, as well as stories changes during the recent 25 years. composed of certain community or or- about being the first nation to adopt Initially, during the first decade of inde- ganization members. A large flow from Christianity as a state religion and being pendence tourism was out of question, the Diaspora shaped Armenian tourism the first in many spheres, being a most as the war and the economic collapse with its advantages and disadvantages. ancient nation are ideas, pleasing the following the breakup of the Soviet For an Armenian by origin, who has Armenian Diaspora and multiplying their Union were risks which could not be never been in his homeland, visiting excitement. The advantage of this is the combined with such an entertaining and Armenia becomes an exciting mix of fact that without possessing a travel and leisure activities as tourism. So tourism tourism, pilgrimage and repatriation, tourism industry Armenia managed to began to develop in the early 2000’s, and it is not quite hard to satisfy such generate a huge demand in the market. when there was a more or less stable a person, as everything becomes so in- Probably no one has ever spoken about economic situation in Armenia. The first teresting and emotional for him. Places the main disadvantage of the sphere, tourists which our agency hosted were strongly associating with the propagan- as the idea can be labeled as a “treason our compatriots from the Diaspora. The da of the Armenian identity, especially against the nation”. So the idea is that fall of the iron curtain encouraged them churches, landscapes of Ararat, Tsit- the touristic product that was so pleas- to reconsider their concept of Armenia sernakaberd (The Armenian Genocide ant for the Armenian Diaspora became

30 N1 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER / 2016 Opening of TaTever

ropeway, 2010 Arnos Martirosyan

the stereotype of the Armenian tourism essential major one, and secondly, establishment of service standards, for over 10 years. There was nothing a number of hotels, guest houses and legislative and tax reforms – all these else but to show Garni and Geghard, restaurants were built in that region. infrastructures need development. Ejmiadzin and Zvartnots, and dozens of other churches to the tourist, as well as internationally acknowledged brand? How to attract young tourists? to make khorovats (barbeque) for them, Currently we have developed a num- Seaside and coastal holidays are of to see them off and to watch him leav- ber of historical sightseeing and tour- top demand in general, but we can- ing happy and excited. istic routes. Experienced professionals not offer this kind of tourism. If you This completely non-competitive work with us, we offer luxury hotels, have an apricot garden it is useless to market also had a negative effect of high quality vehicles, restaurants with make huge efforts and plant avocado blocking the development of touristic appetizing menus. All these compo- instead of increasing apricot yield. infrastructure, as we felt no internal nents make us competitive in the field. Increasing of yield would be that Yere- responsibility to build more comfort- By the way, outbound tourism is one van finally met international standards, able and luxury hotels with high level of the rarest highly competitive fields offering a number of leisure and enter- of service, or acquire better cars, to in Armenia and it brings about reason- tainment attractions for tourists. repair the roads leading to sightseeing able pricing and a growth of the vol- Just a simple example: there are a few places etc. The reason for this was ume of their services and their quality. pools in hotels. It is impossible to keep that we were trying to show a miser- In addition to historical tours we offer tourists interested in Yerevan for more able image of our homeland, which a number of modern touristic activities than two days. And it is a very serious was in need of aid from the Diaspora. for people with more specific interests, issue. On the other hand there is no This was the very beginning, and such as winter sports, medical treat- need to underestimate our tourism, actually it was not bad for the start, as ment, culinary, winemaking, archeolo- which actually possesses its unique it spontaneously gave birth to a pool gy, observation of rural areas, extreme huge market. However, there are some of professionals and an infrastructure. tourism, bird watching etc. At this issues concerning the development Thanks to the first namely non-Ar- stage of the development we face in- of historical and outdoor tourism. Our menian foreign tourists we began stitutional and macroeconomic serious product needs additional reconsider- to acknowledge that it was not very issues. The most essential issue is the ation. For instance, if a small outdoor entertaining to show them dozens of lack of government’s support for the tour is added to the traditional route churches within a week. The well-es- development of the field to promote to Garni and Geghard, along with tablished tourism clichés still survive Armenia as a touristic destination in a refreshment in a rural home, a work- now and even the fact, that we un- the international market. We are not shop, an animation, or with a concert derstand that standard tourist routes competitive abroad and it becomes of a spiritual and folk choir, or play of need reconsideration and replenish- obvious at different foreign exhibitions, duduk, that would be a more expensive, ment, can change nothing. In terms of where we can watch huge thematic but more interesting and a diverse tour. developing infrastructure there is very pavilions of our neighbors which are Even during a standard group tour in little progress on the part of private designed with the support of public European cities tourists do not get so investors and state agencies. The funds next to unattractive and small much new knowledge and experience classic example is TaTever ropeway, tables, representing Armenian tourism. emotions, as during this kind of tours. a single successful project that en- Actually there is no progress in the de- And these are observations of tourists couraged the development of whole velopment of different infrastructures hosted by our agency. If we add the region. Firstly, thanks to this ropeway either: roads, public toilets, informa- hospitality, traditional, caring attitude, the southern touristic route became tion centers, training of professionals, the delight of a tourist is guaranteed.