2nd FORUM ON ARMENIAN TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS AND 1st TOURISM CAREER FAIR TO BE HELD IN EARLY MAY

Noyan Tapan
April 29, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The second forum on Armenian tourism
competitiveness is scheduled for May 6, and the 2008 Tourism Career
Fair will be held on May 7 in Yerevan, NT correspondent was informed by
Armine Israelian, coordinator of the tourism cluster the USAID-financed
Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) program.

According to her, the forum participants – heads and experts of
tourism companies, state bodies and assistance-providing foreign
organizations will present last year’s achievements of the tourism
sector and speak about future programs.

A tourism career fair will be held for the first time. During the
event, students of five Armenian higher educational institutions,
which prepare specialists for the tourism sector, will present
their capabilities to the tourist companies, providing them with an
opportunity to find qualified employees.

Discussing the issue of specialist preparation for the sector, CAPS
travel marketing and communication advisor Nadia Pasqual said that
although newly established, these institutions work hard but they
lack teaching staff and literature. According to her information,
Armenian tour operators are not quite willing to create an opportunity
for students to do practical work.

She explained it by the fact that not having received tourism
education, the heads of tour operating companies avoid giving jobs
to those with such education. "Whereas, practical skills are no less
important than theoretical knowledge," she said.