Comments on Armenia's Tourism Sector

Interview with the Head of National Competitiveness Foundation Pegor Papazian

 

It is a known fact that the tourism sector is one of the target sectors of the National Competitiveness Committee (NCC). Please describe the problems present in this sector and your suggestions and deadlines to overcome them.

 

As a country that has recently entered the global tourism market, Armenia has great development potential. Our country offers an interesting mix of tourism products, which can be seen in its rich cultural heritage, natural assets, and hospitality traditions. Based on these factors, Armenia has all the chances to occupy its unique place in the market. One should take into account that the trend of looking for new destinations and experiences is becoming more prominent in the market. By using these trends and creating relevant messages around the topic of traditions and new experiences we will be able to reach the target groups which have the biggest development potential for us.

 

This means that by ensuring the promotion of Armenian tourism in the target countries we will be able to increase the tourist flows that will result in the increased incentives to invest in this sector.

 

At the same time the effectiveness of such efforts could be multiplied if we try to encourage and diversify the Armenian tourism product and bring it as close as possible to the requirements of the target groups and internationally accepted standards.

 

There are of course a number of other issues, such as an underdeveloped national infrastructure, the deficiencies of tourism market statistics, the issue of human resource development, the low quality of marz-related informational material, etc. We will address these problems mainly at the level of pilot projects. Thus, relevant models will be created within the development of the strategy on turning Tatev and Jermuk into tourism centers, which can be duplicated in the future and applied to the rest of the country.

 

Are there any steps being taken to promote Armenia as a tourism site?

 

Yes, our work includes direct marketing focused on tour operators in target source countries. This means participation in exhibitions, study tours, training programs and other initiatives. At the same time we actively work in on creating interest towards Armenia amongst regular consumers by using such tools as advertisement and public relations events.

 

According to you, what are the target markets for Armenia?

 

In order to promote the Armenian tourism products, we are targeting countries based on international statistical data. The selected countries are the ones where we see a dynamic growth in outgoing tourism.

 

According to surveys, a number of European countries, namely Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and the Benelux countries are the most interested ones in Armenia. This goes with a proviso, that we talk of the tourists who come to Armenia for leisure purposes and who do not have Armenian roots. The number of such tourists is relatively easy to increase by using both traditional and innovative marketing tools. In these countries, the target groups are those who display interest towards the products offered by countries like Armenia, namely rich cultural heritage, natural diversity and extensive opportunities for active recreation. The specific demand of target groups having such interests have been pretty well surveyed and significant progress can be achieved if an appropriate marketing policy is applied to them, which will result in increased tourist visits and related income.

 

How do you see your cooperation with travel agencies?

 

Tour operators and agents are some of the most immediate beneficiaries and partners of our programs. Since the decisions we make will affect the work of private tourism-related companies and the product they work with, it is important to ensure that they participate in the overall decision-making process. In particular, the mechanism we offer is the creation of an advisory body under the Competitiveness Foundation, which will be able to make the voice of the private sector heard at all levels and represent the sector’s interests around the most important issues. In addition, this advisory body will incorporate the most important representatives of hospitality and restaurant businesses. This will serve as a unifying factor for the tourism sector, which will be presented with one voice and should be able to resolve problems more effectively.

 

Will you please mention the number and main functions of tourism information centers in Yerevan and RA marzes?

 

There is one tourism information center in Yerevan and eight of them - active or planned - in the marzes of Armenia. Currently a new concept for the Yerevan information center is being developed, which will be presented to the public and tourists in a new venue and new design in 2011. There are plans to develop the unified network of information centers in the Armenian marzes, according to which the state will apply one policy towards such centers. The policy will define the centers’ functions and standards. Technical assistance will be offered in the areas of personnel training, provision of promotional-informational materials, etc.

 

According to you, which types of tourism (ecotourism, leisure tourism, ethnic tourism, etc.) have development potential in Armenia?