NAGORNO KARABAKH THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVEL AGENCIES

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 Armenia journal

            - 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