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NAGORNO KARABAKH THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVEL AGENCIES
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1294:-nagorno-karabakh-through-the-eyes-of-travel-agencies&catid=9:society&Itemid
Wednesday, 27 November 2013 16:05
As we reported earlier, on November 12, the Valex Garden
HotelCompany organized a conference in Stepanakert on tourism
development in Artsakh.
Representatives of the companies dealing with tourism in
the RA and NKR, as well as Chief of the NKR Department of Tourism and
Historical Environment Protection Sergey Shakhverdian attended the
conference. Some of the conference participants shared their opinions
and impressions with the Azat Artsakh readers.
Sergey SHAKHVERDIAN, Chief of the NKR Department of Tourism and
Historical Environment Protection
- The initiative can be only welcomed. Generally, we try to make
similar visits frequent and regular. The importance of similar
conferences is that we get the opportunity to learn the opinions of
the tourism sphere's employees on our activity, its positive and
negative sides. It became clear during the conference that it would be
constructive. Quite rational proposals were sounded and issues that we
have to decide were raised. Frankly speaking, there were also
superficial ideas. So, we'll have to analyze and summarize the entire
information and to find the optimal options for increasing the tourism
image of our country and for resolving the issues, which should be
preliminarily studied. And all the reasonable proposals will certainly
be implemented. We aren't, surely, satisfied with the statistics on
the tourists coming to Artsakh (though the flow is growing from year
to year). We do everything to increase their number and try to improve
the level of service. The state is making enormous efforts in this
direction.
Michael GALUMIAN, Director of Valex Garden Hotel Company
- We have long wanted to organize such an event. The goal
is to familiarize travel agents of Armenia with Artsakh, as different
countries of the world sell their packages to them and they can be
useful in terms of tourism development in the NKR. Almost 90% of them
have not been to Artsakh and, surely, have no idea of the changes in
the country, its development opportunities, abilities, places of
interest; in other words, we have presented them everything, for which
a tourist is ready to pay. At the same time, we tried to present also
ourselves. I think we have succeeded. We will show them the sights of
Artsakh, and I believe they will leave Artsakh with great impressions.
Helena SHUVAYEVA-PETROSSIAN, editor-in-chief of Tourist Armeniajournal
- I arrived in Artsakh a little earlier than the main
group and unlike many of them, I'm not here for the first time. My
current visit was in the framework of cooperation between the Mayor's
Offices of Yerevan and Stepanakert. According to the contract, Yerevan
Municipality pledged to build a park here. Its draft was presented to
the Mayor of Stepanakert. I participated in a roundtable organized by
the two Mayors' Offices and then extended my trip to participate in
this forum. I traveled a lot in Artsakh, as I'm fond of
mountaineering, and there is no better place than Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh immediately made a great impression on me. It is
surprising that the whole world is solving the Karabakh issue, while
the people of Karabakh have long resolved it themselves and they just
live in this wonderful land. Unfortunately, many tourists consider
Artsakh a war zone. Some of them even asked me, «Is it true that the
Lachin corridor is a narrow road controlled by armed forces, and
Karabakh is a dangerous military zone?» Surely, I explained that it is
not so. At the same time, it is my duty to inform the masses about the
history and sights of this country.
Camella KARAKHANIAN, manager of Tatev travel agency
- I have worked at the agency for almost 14 years. The agency itself
has operated for 21 years. Immediately after Armenia gained
independence it was based by an Iranian businessman of Armenian
origin. I'm from Iran and moved to Armenia 15 years ago. The first
group, which our agency brought to Artsakh 12 years ago, comprised 48
people. That time there were almost no hotels in Artsakh, and
comparatively comfortable was Nairi hotel. But even then, tourists got
quite good impressions of Artsakh. Then, we began to periodically
bring here groups, and each time the impressions were more vivid.
Currently, the situation in Armenia is somewhat different - more
tourists want to go abroad than to travel within the country. Yet, we
bring one or two groups to Artsakh in a month. As for European
tourists, if their travel package has at least one-week vacation, we
certainly include Artsakh in it. Tourists always come back with great
impressions. The only problem is a long road. Let's admit that the
Yerevan - Stepanakert highway is very tiring and hard for the guests.
For small groups, the issue of guide is topical, which also requires
an immediate solution. I offered Sergey Shakhverdian to place a list
of guides at the website, if there are any, because we do not know
whom to contact for such services. I believe that through cooperation
we'll be able to organize the work more effectively.
Zara ADAMIAN, manager of Sakvoyaj Travel domestic tourism agency
- I think the issue of guides requires an immediate
solution. The agencies of Armenia should cooperate with officials of
the NKR tourism sphere, as well as to study and apply the
international experience. It is desirable that the guides are locals.
Yet, here is another issue for the future. We'd like to see tourists
not to coming to Armenia and just for a day or two to Artsakh, but
treating Artsakh as an independent tourism entity. Similar tourists
are already available. And this practice should be developed.
Srbuhi VANIAN
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1294:-nagorno-karabakh-through-the-eyes-of-travel-agencies&catid=9:society&Itemid
Wednesday, 27 November 2013 16:05
As we reported earlier, on November 12, the Valex Garden
HotelCompany organized a conference in Stepanakert on tourism
development in Artsakh.
Representatives of the companies dealing with tourism in
the RA and NKR, as well as Chief of the NKR Department of Tourism and
Historical Environment Protection Sergey Shakhverdian attended the
conference. Some of the conference participants shared their opinions
and impressions with the Azat Artsakh readers.
Sergey SHAKHVERDIAN, Chief of the NKR Department of Tourism and
Historical Environment Protection
- The initiative can be only welcomed. Generally, we try to make
similar visits frequent and regular. The importance of similar
conferences is that we get the opportunity to learn the opinions of
the tourism sphere's employees on our activity, its positive and
negative sides. It became clear during the conference that it would be
constructive. Quite rational proposals were sounded and issues that we
have to decide were raised. Frankly speaking, there were also
superficial ideas. So, we'll have to analyze and summarize the entire
information and to find the optimal options for increasing the tourism
image of our country and for resolving the issues, which should be
preliminarily studied. And all the reasonable proposals will certainly
be implemented. We aren't, surely, satisfied with the statistics on
the tourists coming to Artsakh (though the flow is growing from year
to year). We do everything to increase their number and try to improve
the level of service. The state is making enormous efforts in this
direction.
Michael GALUMIAN, Director of Valex Garden Hotel Company
- We have long wanted to organize such an event. The goal
is to familiarize travel agents of Armenia with Artsakh, as different
countries of the world sell their packages to them and they can be
useful in terms of tourism development in the NKR. Almost 90% of them
have not been to Artsakh and, surely, have no idea of the changes in
the country, its development opportunities, abilities, places of
interest; in other words, we have presented them everything, for which
a tourist is ready to pay. At the same time, we tried to present also
ourselves. I think we have succeeded. We will show them the sights of
Artsakh, and I believe they will leave Artsakh with great impressions.
Helena SHUVAYEVA-PETROSSIAN, editor-in-chief of Tourist Armeniajournal
- I arrived in Artsakh a little earlier than the main
group and unlike many of them, I'm not here for the first time. My
current visit was in the framework of cooperation between the Mayor's
Offices of Yerevan and Stepanakert. According to the contract, Yerevan
Municipality pledged to build a park here. Its draft was presented to
the Mayor of Stepanakert. I participated in a roundtable organized by
the two Mayors' Offices and then extended my trip to participate in
this forum. I traveled a lot in Artsakh, as I'm fond of
mountaineering, and there is no better place than Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh immediately made a great impression on me. It is
surprising that the whole world is solving the Karabakh issue, while
the people of Karabakh have long resolved it themselves and they just
live in this wonderful land. Unfortunately, many tourists consider
Artsakh a war zone. Some of them even asked me, «Is it true that the
Lachin corridor is a narrow road controlled by armed forces, and
Karabakh is a dangerous military zone?» Surely, I explained that it is
not so. At the same time, it is my duty to inform the masses about the
history and sights of this country.
Camella KARAKHANIAN, manager of Tatev travel agency
- I have worked at the agency for almost 14 years. The agency itself
has operated for 21 years. Immediately after Armenia gained
independence it was based by an Iranian businessman of Armenian
origin. I'm from Iran and moved to Armenia 15 years ago. The first
group, which our agency brought to Artsakh 12 years ago, comprised 48
people. That time there were almost no hotels in Artsakh, and
comparatively comfortable was Nairi hotel. But even then, tourists got
quite good impressions of Artsakh. Then, we began to periodically
bring here groups, and each time the impressions were more vivid.
Currently, the situation in Armenia is somewhat different - more
tourists want to go abroad than to travel within the country. Yet, we
bring one or two groups to Artsakh in a month. As for European
tourists, if their travel package has at least one-week vacation, we
certainly include Artsakh in it. Tourists always come back with great
impressions. The only problem is a long road. Let's admit that the
Yerevan - Stepanakert highway is very tiring and hard for the guests.
For small groups, the issue of guide is topical, which also requires
an immediate solution. I offered Sergey Shakhverdian to place a list
of guides at the website, if there are any, because we do not know
whom to contact for such services. I believe that through cooperation
we'll be able to organize the work more effectively.
Zara ADAMIAN, manager of Sakvoyaj Travel domestic tourism agency
- I think the issue of guides requires an immediate
solution. The agencies of Armenia should cooperate with officials of
the NKR tourism sphere, as well as to study and apply the
international experience. It is desirable that the guides are locals.
Yet, here is another issue for the future. We'd like to see tourists
not to coming to Armenia and just for a day or two to Artsakh, but
treating Artsakh as an independent tourism entity. Similar tourists
are already available. And this practice should be developed.
Srbuhi VANIAN