Sponsor: Armenian Caritas
Project Duration: 4 months (01.05.2016 - 31.08.2016)
Project location: Chambarak Province, Gegharkunik Region
On May 1 2016 Cross of Armenian Unity NGO has launched the program "The Promotion of Tourism in Province Chambarak, Gegharkunik Region". The program is funded by the Armenian Caritas NGO and supported by "Machanents Tourism and Art" social enterprise.
The target Chambarak district situates 80-120km far from the regional center town Gavar, 1500 – 2800meteres high above the sea level. The area was included in the Artsakh and Ayrarat states of Great Armenia in the 3rd-4th centuries BC, it was under the domination of Sasanian Iran and Arabian caliphate in the 5-10 centuries. At the end of the 10th century it was part of the Bagratuni kingdom then Kyurikian kingdom. It was part of Dilijan district in 1920-37.
Since 1988 all the communities of the region were inhabited with the refugees from SSR Azerbaijan districts Shamkhor, Kirovabad and from Artsvashen. The population is mainly engaged in agriculture, especially grain, potato, vegetable growing and cattle breeding, production of livestock products.
The number of man who are migrant workers is large in the communities, so the burden of managing the house is on the women’s shoulder which in its turn causes lots of psychological problems. The small-scale income from agricultural work rises the need of additional work and additional incomes.
The mission of tourists visiting Gegharkunik region is limited only visiting Goshavank Monastery and Lake Sevan, while the target region has lots of historic-cultural centers, architectural monuments, etc. The picturesque nature; forests, streams and springs, valleys and hills of the region are great resources to make the region a center of eco-tourism. The mild climate allows to enjoy the rich and colorful nature all year round. Some tourism infrastructures in the region are not fully operational due to the lack of information and experience. They can not provide the service suppliers with fixed income. These resources could be a good stimulus for developing the community if presented properly. Being served on the venue, the tourists will do a financial contribution not only to the community, but also to the budget of the local producers.
The program objective is to assist domestic enterprises operating in the 5 target communities, who work in the tourism industry or provide services that may interest tourists. Logos, websites and advertising leaflets will be created for the five enterprises. Information signboards will be set in order to lead the tourists to the enterprises. A series of workshops will be organized which will help to introduce their services in the corresponding online platforms, also experience exchanging visits will be organized. Armenian Taraz (Armenian traditional dress) workshop-exhibit will be opened in the region, where the costume patterns typical of each region of Armenia will be exhibited. The costumes will have practical application by the beneficiaries so that the services provided by them will be more attractive and colorful.
Exploring enterprises' activities and paying special attention to their characteristics, we have created their logos. Five websites have been prepared, which present the activities and attractiveness of enterprises in English. The photos taken especially for the website make the offered services more appealing. The whole information about the services, their installation and the ways they are used is provided on the websites.
The logos and photos taken during the program have also been used in making advertisements, which will be used to advertise the offered services. Business cards have been made for the five beneficiary enterprises.
From the five beneficiary enterprises of the program, eight representatives took part in a four-day skill development course in August in Ejmiatsin. The course was given by experienced specialists, which included a lot of practical and interactive components. During the four days the participants got to know the ways of advertising businesses and the role of the Internet and social websites in it. They became acquainted with more than ten world-famous tourism platforms (booking.com,airbnb.com, expedia.com, vrbo.com,flipkey.com,tripadvisor.com, etc.), their features and the ways they are used. On the last day of the course, after getting acquainted with the idea of animation tourism, several master classes were organized, which are offered to tourists by ‘Machanents Tourism and Art”.
Then, wearing the Armenian national clothes that were made during the program, the participants immediately got engaged in servicing the tourist groups.
In the end of the program, each of the 3 guest houses was provided with hand-madewooden signboards, which will be placed on the main road and the roads between villages for the tourists to find their way to the guest house.
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