NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS FOUNDATION OF ARMENIA TO INVEST 200 THSD EUR IN PILOT PROJECTS ON PROMOTING ARMENIA AS A TOURISM DIRECTION IN GERMANY AND GREAT BRITAIN

ArmInfo
2010-02-16 17:21:00

ArmInfo. The National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia is going
to invest 200 thsd EUR in pilot projects on promoting Armenia as a
tourism direction in Germany and Great Britain, Executive Director
of the Foundation Bekor Papazyan told journalists, Tuesday.

According to him, Germany and Great Britain, as well as France
and Italy are considered as the priority markets for travelling to
Armenia. These countries show a big demand for the products that
Armenia can offer. "The tourists there want something new. This means
that some of them will probably choose not a trip to the seaside,
but travelling to Armenia, for instance, in search of impressions from
national cuisine",- said Papazyan. For her part, Head of the Tourism
Department of the Foundation Hasmik Antonyan said that "the tourism
of cuisine" is now one of the most intensively developing fields of
tourism industry. "This is not just visiting a restaurant, but also
participating in food making, studying of the recipe, and ingredients.

According to our assessments, such impressions are in a quite big
demand in the West, and a number of countries are visited for such
impressions",- said Antonyan. Papazyan pointed out that the specified
funds will be directed to the market research and work with German
and British partners. "We are already taking such measures in Berlin,
with participation of approximately ten tour operators, which will
work directly with their clients. As you understand, 100 thsd EUR is
not such a big amount, therefore, these are pilot projects. But we
want to show the expedience of such investments",- said Papazyan.

The National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia operates as a
joint project of the state in person of the Armenian government and
representatives of the private sector from the USA, Russia,, Europe
and Near East. The Foundation works out and coordinates investment
programs to enhance the foreign competitiveness of Armenia. The
Foundation focuses on education, healthcare and tourism.