ISSUES ON PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL
VALUES DISCUSSED IN GYUMRI
ArmenPress
June 16 2004
GYUMRI, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS: “Protection of Gyumri-Kars Historical and
Cultural Values and Tourism Development” symposium held in Gyumri on
the initiative of Academy for Education Development (AED) discussed
today issues concerning the governance of cultural and historical
objects and development of tourism industry.
According to the head of tourism department of Armenian ministry for
trade and economic development Arthur Zakarian, in order to make the
process of monuments’ governance more effective it is necessary to
transfer them to the private sector of governance, determining the
issues of preservation and development, providing strict supervision
of the process of commitments’ fulfillment. He said that the sphere
of tourism is completely in the hands of the private sector and
develops dynamically.
Nina Hovnanian-Alexanian, the executive director of Armenian Agency
for Tourism Development, stated in her report that there many ways
of development of tourism in Armenia. The main constituent of this
strategy, in her words, is the creation of tourism development centers.
The chairman of the session, deputy director of “Arm project”
institute Sashur Kalashian, stressing that he is against transferring
the objects’ governance to the private sector, said that in order
to develop the intellectual tourism it is necessary to develop the
quality of tour-operators’ services, prepare skilful guides and engage
the local population in this process.
It must be also stated that the aim of the program, which is financed
by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is to
research the current condition of the historical and cultural values,
discuss the issues concerning the further protection and preservation
of these values and the prospects of development of regional tourism.