Tweet
AMERICAN, TURKISH AND ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES PARTICIPATE IN JOINT TOURISM PROJECT
By Taniel Koushakjian
http://noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=6041
10.10.2011
A joint tourism project between the United States, Turkey and
Armenia has been actively working to foster greater cooperation
and integration between the three countries and between Armenia
and Turkey in particular. The project, entitled "A Multilateral
University Consortium to Strengthen Tourism Education, Research,
and Industry Outreach," is led by the University of Florida (UF)
along with Dokuz Eylul University (DEU) in Turkey, and the Armenian
State University of Economics (ASUE).
ATA Fellows
The consortium or American-Turkish-Armenian (ATA) Fellows, is a
21-member team of expert academics and practitioners with diverse
experiences and backgrounds. The ATA Fellows work to promote
collaboration between American, Turkish and Armenian academic
institutions in the travel and tourism industry and will bring
together private sector actors to research, train, educate, build and
strengthen capacity within the context of sustainable regional tourism
development. According to the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute at the
University of Florida, "The prospect to promote cultural understanding,
mutual respect and peace via travel and tourism is a monumental
opportunity to strengthen dialogue between Turkey and Armenia whose
relations have been strained by a number of historical and political
issues. Travel and tourism, education and research partnerships between
Turkey and Armenia can facilitate the normalization of relations
between the two nations." The project was initiated in September 2010
through a grant by the U.S. Department of State-Embassy in Ankara.
The stated goals of the ATA Fellows are to: promote more sustainable
tourism development; enhance cultural and environmental awareness;
diminish the negative impacts of tourism; diversify tourism products;
brand the region as a sustainable, safe and quality tourism brand;
improve human capital with a focus on non-elite groups; promote mutual
trade and investment, investment in tourism infrastructure (i.e.
hotels, attractions, etc.); enhance cross-cultural interaction,
exchange and understanding; facilitate the normalization of relations
between the two nations; stimulate economic development in the region;
and ultimately promote regional peace.
"This project is one of those rare opportunities of life
accomplishment, a cause for the greater good of the world community,"
stated Dr. Asli Tasci, ATA Fellows Project Director at the University
of Florida. "With the initiation and leadership of the University of
Florida, two educational institutions from Turkey and Armenia were
stimulated to pull their resources together and put tourism at work
for peace," Dr. Tasci told FLArmenians.
Track II Diplomacy
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Turkey last month and
met with Turkish officials to discuss a broad range of issues,
including Armenian-Turkish normalizations of relations. According
to an RFE/RL report, "She encouraged Turkey to support and move
the [Turkish-Armenian] protocols, which have been stuck in the
Turkish parliament, but more generally to reach out to Armenia with
confidence-building measures and do whatever possible to strengthen
that relationship, leading ultimately to restored diplomatic ties."
The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed two historic
protocols, on the normalization of relations and the establishment of
diplomatic relations, in Zurich, Switzerland on October 10, 2009, in
the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner, and Swiss Foreign Minister Michele Calmy-Rey. However,
despite the stalling of Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, civil society
institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics,
journalists and human rights activists from Armenia and Turkey
have continued to work to promote cross-cultural understanding and
awareness. As Track I diplomacy seems to be grinding to a halt,
Track II diplomacy is rapidly picking up the pace.
A recent headline in the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News read,
"Confidence-building steps planned toward Armenia." In the absence
of Turkish political will to ratify the protocols, the author sites
several steps that the Turkish side aims to take in the next few years
to keep the rapprochement process moving forward. Although nothing
official has been announced, some ideas cited by the author include
opening a Turkish Airlines office in Armenia, visits to Armenia and
Georgia by Turkish Education Ministry officials, and the opening of
certain border crossings.
In addition, it was reported that Turkish companies have now begun
organizing package tours to Armenia. According to the Hurriyet
Daily News, "A joint enterprise between two Turkish-based tourism
companies is planning to organize special package tours from Turkey
to Armenia in August, even though the two countries' borders have
remained closed since 1993." Dikran Altun, owner of Tower Turizm
told Hurriyet: "Unfortunately, our people do not know each other -
hence their hesitation to travel," adding that Turkish and Armenian
tourists who are interested in visiting each other's countries for
the first time always ask if it is safe to travel.
Also, just a few weeks ago, an association of Armenian and Turkish
travel agencies was established in Yerevan, Armenia. According to
News.am, 27 businessmen and NGO representatives from Turkey were
invited to Armenia to participate in the forum. During the forum a
memorandum was signed to promote mutual and international tourism
aimed at developing economic relations between the two countries.
Furthermore, in a separate project through the International Center
for Journalists, several reporters from Armenia and Turkey recently
visited media outlets throughout the United States, including the
Tallahassee Democrat.
Current U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, who is serving
a 1-year recess appointment set to expire at the end of this year,
testified before Congress earlier this month. His testimony states:
"Facilitating regional integration is a high priority for the United
States. Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia will foster increased
stability and prosperity in the Caucasus region. We commend the
governments of Turkey and Armenia in signing the historic protocols
on normalization of relations on October 10, 2009 in Zurich. During
her visit last month, Secretary of State Clinton again urged Turkey
to ratify the protocols, and we will continue to support programs
that build understanding between Turks and Armenians."
While the international community would like to see the two protocols
ratified, and thus the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the
establishment of diplomatic relations, it is apparent that efforts
on the grassroots level will continue to build the confidence and
good will necessary for both populations to live in peace.
"I am pleased to be a part of the ATA Fellows initiative and to have
the opportunity to work in an environment that promotes a peaceful
exchange and builds a cross-cultural understanding between Turks
and Armenians through tourism," stated Dr. Artak Manukyan, Armenian
Project Director at ASUE. "We are looking forward to the upcoming field
trips and to hosting our American and Turkish colleagues in Armenia,"
Dr. Manukyan told FLArmenians.
ATA Fellows Project Activities Since its inception, the ATA Fellows
have initiated a number of assignments and activities to fulfill
four main goals: Curriculum Development; Research; Industry Outreach;
and Capacity Building. These goals will be realized through a serious
of meetings in each country, collaborative research assignments and
scientific studies, as well as student exchange field trips and an
international symposium.
The ATA Fellows will conduct three vision meetings, one in
each country. The first meeting was held in November 2010 at the
University of Florida, in Gainesville. This initial meeting sparked
the relationships and creative processes necessary for achieving
the project goals. The second meeting was held in March 2011 in
Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey. During this trip, several meetings and
presentations were conducted covering a wide range of tourism industry
specific issues, as well as cross-cultural activities and visits
to various historical attractions. In addition to the ATA Fellows,
local entrepreneurs, students, practitioners and diverse stakeholders
participated in the activities, which greatly developed a working
fellowship among the project team members. In September 2011 the ATA
Fellows will travel to Yerevan and Gyumri, Armenia for their final
vision meeting.
Next year, in August 2012, the ATA Fellows will hold their first
student field trip to Ani, Turkey. Dokuz Eylul University, in
collaboration with industry stakeholders, will welcome the ATA
Fellows and 10 students from each country for a 10-day field trip
to the ancient city. Ani is a very important Armenian city, once the
capital of the medieval Armenian Bagratuni Kingdom (895 - 1046 AD). The
following month, the UF team, in collaboration with the Alachua County
Visitors and Convention Bureau, will host students from the U.S.,
Turkey and Armenia for a 14-day tourism service learning project
in North and Central Florida. Tourism is the major industry for the
Sunshine State, famously known for its beautiful beaches, Disney World
and Universal Studios in Orlando, as well as historic cities such as
St. Augustine. The cross-cultural exchange of academics, students,
and practitioners in the field of travel and tourism is a promising
opportunity, not just for Turks and Armenians, but for all of the
institutions and stakeholders involved.
Like all major projects of its kind, the research and development
component is vital to achieving project goals and is an ongoing
endeavor. For instance, a focus group study was conducted on students
at DEU and ASUE to gain a greater understanding of the issues
surrounding image, cultural distance and tourism potential between
Turkey and Armenia. As reflected in Mr. Altun's statement, the results
indicated that the majority of the students' perception fell into
the categories of lack of any perception to somewhat biased perception.
Naturally, these types of studies and exchanges are a first step at
addressing the perception issue. Once that barrier is broken down,
dialogue has been established and economic benefits are introduced,
the potential for normalization of relations between Turkey and
Armenia becomes that much greater.
To conclude the project a major symposium will be held and is currently
scheduled for the summer of 2013. This workshop-style symposium will
focus on the issues concerned with achieving environmental, social
and economic sustainability of tourism for regional development. ATA
Fellows will present their findings and discuss ways to foster
greater collaboration between tourism scholars, experts, academics,
practitioners, government officials, students, NGOs and other
stakeholders from the United States, Turkey and Armenia.
"The ATA Fellows project is a wonderful initiative and we commend
the participating universities and individuals for working towards an
honest and just peace with the people of Armenia and Turkey through
the travel and tourism industry," stated FLArmenians Communications
Director Arsine Kaloustian-Rosenthal, an alumnus of UF. "I would
also like to thank Dr. Tasci and the University of Florida for their
leadership and positive approach in making this project a reality,"
concluded Kaloustian-Rosenthal.
www.flarmenians.com
By Taniel Koushakjian
http://noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=6041
10.10.2011
A joint tourism project between the United States, Turkey and
Armenia has been actively working to foster greater cooperation
and integration between the three countries and between Armenia
and Turkey in particular. The project, entitled "A Multilateral
University Consortium to Strengthen Tourism Education, Research,
and Industry Outreach," is led by the University of Florida (UF)
along with Dokuz Eylul University (DEU) in Turkey, and the Armenian
State University of Economics (ASUE).
ATA Fellows
The consortium or American-Turkish-Armenian (ATA) Fellows, is a
21-member team of expert academics and practitioners with diverse
experiences and backgrounds. The ATA Fellows work to promote
collaboration between American, Turkish and Armenian academic
institutions in the travel and tourism industry and will bring
together private sector actors to research, train, educate, build and
strengthen capacity within the context of sustainable regional tourism
development. According to the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute at the
University of Florida, "The prospect to promote cultural understanding,
mutual respect and peace via travel and tourism is a monumental
opportunity to strengthen dialogue between Turkey and Armenia whose
relations have been strained by a number of historical and political
issues. Travel and tourism, education and research partnerships between
Turkey and Armenia can facilitate the normalization of relations
between the two nations." The project was initiated in September 2010
through a grant by the U.S. Department of State-Embassy in Ankara.
The stated goals of the ATA Fellows are to: promote more sustainable
tourism development; enhance cultural and environmental awareness;
diminish the negative impacts of tourism; diversify tourism products;
brand the region as a sustainable, safe and quality tourism brand;
improve human capital with a focus on non-elite groups; promote mutual
trade and investment, investment in tourism infrastructure (i.e.
hotels, attractions, etc.); enhance cross-cultural interaction,
exchange and understanding; facilitate the normalization of relations
between the two nations; stimulate economic development in the region;
and ultimately promote regional peace.
"This project is one of those rare opportunities of life
accomplishment, a cause for the greater good of the world community,"
stated Dr. Asli Tasci, ATA Fellows Project Director at the University
of Florida. "With the initiation and leadership of the University of
Florida, two educational institutions from Turkey and Armenia were
stimulated to pull their resources together and put tourism at work
for peace," Dr. Tasci told FLArmenians.
Track II Diplomacy
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Turkey last month and
met with Turkish officials to discuss a broad range of issues,
including Armenian-Turkish normalizations of relations. According
to an RFE/RL report, "She encouraged Turkey to support and move
the [Turkish-Armenian] protocols, which have been stuck in the
Turkish parliament, but more generally to reach out to Armenia with
confidence-building measures and do whatever possible to strengthen
that relationship, leading ultimately to restored diplomatic ties."
The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed two historic
protocols, on the normalization of relations and the establishment of
diplomatic relations, in Zurich, Switzerland on October 10, 2009, in
the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner, and Swiss Foreign Minister Michele Calmy-Rey. However,
despite the stalling of Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, civil society
institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics,
journalists and human rights activists from Armenia and Turkey
have continued to work to promote cross-cultural understanding and
awareness. As Track I diplomacy seems to be grinding to a halt,
Track II diplomacy is rapidly picking up the pace.
A recent headline in the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News read,
"Confidence-building steps planned toward Armenia." In the absence
of Turkish political will to ratify the protocols, the author sites
several steps that the Turkish side aims to take in the next few years
to keep the rapprochement process moving forward. Although nothing
official has been announced, some ideas cited by the author include
opening a Turkish Airlines office in Armenia, visits to Armenia and
Georgia by Turkish Education Ministry officials, and the opening of
certain border crossings.
In addition, it was reported that Turkish companies have now begun
organizing package tours to Armenia. According to the Hurriyet
Daily News, "A joint enterprise between two Turkish-based tourism
companies is planning to organize special package tours from Turkey
to Armenia in August, even though the two countries' borders have
remained closed since 1993." Dikran Altun, owner of Tower Turizm
told Hurriyet: "Unfortunately, our people do not know each other -
hence their hesitation to travel," adding that Turkish and Armenian
tourists who are interested in visiting each other's countries for
the first time always ask if it is safe to travel.
Also, just a few weeks ago, an association of Armenian and Turkish
travel agencies was established in Yerevan, Armenia. According to
News.am, 27 businessmen and NGO representatives from Turkey were
invited to Armenia to participate in the forum. During the forum a
memorandum was signed to promote mutual and international tourism
aimed at developing economic relations between the two countries.
Furthermore, in a separate project through the International Center
for Journalists, several reporters from Armenia and Turkey recently
visited media outlets throughout the United States, including the
Tallahassee Democrat.
Current U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, who is serving
a 1-year recess appointment set to expire at the end of this year,
testified before Congress earlier this month. His testimony states:
"Facilitating regional integration is a high priority for the United
States. Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia will foster increased
stability and prosperity in the Caucasus region. We commend the
governments of Turkey and Armenia in signing the historic protocols
on normalization of relations on October 10, 2009 in Zurich. During
her visit last month, Secretary of State Clinton again urged Turkey
to ratify the protocols, and we will continue to support programs
that build understanding between Turks and Armenians."
While the international community would like to see the two protocols
ratified, and thus the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the
establishment of diplomatic relations, it is apparent that efforts
on the grassroots level will continue to build the confidence and
good will necessary for both populations to live in peace.
"I am pleased to be a part of the ATA Fellows initiative and to have
the opportunity to work in an environment that promotes a peaceful
exchange and builds a cross-cultural understanding between Turks
and Armenians through tourism," stated Dr. Artak Manukyan, Armenian
Project Director at ASUE. "We are looking forward to the upcoming field
trips and to hosting our American and Turkish colleagues in Armenia,"
Dr. Manukyan told FLArmenians.
ATA Fellows Project Activities Since its inception, the ATA Fellows
have initiated a number of assignments and activities to fulfill
four main goals: Curriculum Development; Research; Industry Outreach;
and Capacity Building. These goals will be realized through a serious
of meetings in each country, collaborative research assignments and
scientific studies, as well as student exchange field trips and an
international symposium.
The ATA Fellows will conduct three vision meetings, one in
each country. The first meeting was held in November 2010 at the
University of Florida, in Gainesville. This initial meeting sparked
the relationships and creative processes necessary for achieving
the project goals. The second meeting was held in March 2011 in
Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey. During this trip, several meetings and
presentations were conducted covering a wide range of tourism industry
specific issues, as well as cross-cultural activities and visits
to various historical attractions. In addition to the ATA Fellows,
local entrepreneurs, students, practitioners and diverse stakeholders
participated in the activities, which greatly developed a working
fellowship among the project team members. In September 2011 the ATA
Fellows will travel to Yerevan and Gyumri, Armenia for their final
vision meeting.
Next year, in August 2012, the ATA Fellows will hold their first
student field trip to Ani, Turkey. Dokuz Eylul University, in
collaboration with industry stakeholders, will welcome the ATA
Fellows and 10 students from each country for a 10-day field trip
to the ancient city. Ani is a very important Armenian city, once the
capital of the medieval Armenian Bagratuni Kingdom (895 - 1046 AD). The
following month, the UF team, in collaboration with the Alachua County
Visitors and Convention Bureau, will host students from the U.S.,
Turkey and Armenia for a 14-day tourism service learning project
in North and Central Florida. Tourism is the major industry for the
Sunshine State, famously known for its beautiful beaches, Disney World
and Universal Studios in Orlando, as well as historic cities such as
St. Augustine. The cross-cultural exchange of academics, students,
and practitioners in the field of travel and tourism is a promising
opportunity, not just for Turks and Armenians, but for all of the
institutions and stakeholders involved.
Like all major projects of its kind, the research and development
component is vital to achieving project goals and is an ongoing
endeavor. For instance, a focus group study was conducted on students
at DEU and ASUE to gain a greater understanding of the issues
surrounding image, cultural distance and tourism potential between
Turkey and Armenia. As reflected in Mr. Altun's statement, the results
indicated that the majority of the students' perception fell into
the categories of lack of any perception to somewhat biased perception.
Naturally, these types of studies and exchanges are a first step at
addressing the perception issue. Once that barrier is broken down,
dialogue has been established and economic benefits are introduced,
the potential for normalization of relations between Turkey and
Armenia becomes that much greater.
To conclude the project a major symposium will be held and is currently
scheduled for the summer of 2013. This workshop-style symposium will
focus on the issues concerned with achieving environmental, social
and economic sustainability of tourism for regional development. ATA
Fellows will present their findings and discuss ways to foster
greater collaboration between tourism scholars, experts, academics,
practitioners, government officials, students, NGOs and other
stakeholders from the United States, Turkey and Armenia.
"The ATA Fellows project is a wonderful initiative and we commend
the participating universities and individuals for working towards an
honest and just peace with the people of Armenia and Turkey through
the travel and tourism industry," stated FLArmenians Communications
Director Arsine Kaloustian-Rosenthal, an alumnus of UF. "I would
also like to thank Dr. Tasci and the University of Florida for their
leadership and positive approach in making this project a reality,"
concluded Kaloustian-Rosenthal.
www.flarmenians.com