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geghard
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- 11/6/2012
In April 2010 the Pilot Project “Roads of Culture and Tourism for Development and Dialogue in Armenia” initiated in Abovyan region, Kotayk Marz.
The main goal of the project is to strengthen heritage preservation including its tangible and intangible dimensions and development of cultural tourism involving communities in Kotayk Marz of Armenia, where the monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List (in 2000) – Geghard monastery and the Upper Azat Valley are situated.
The Pilot Project was coordinated by the Ministry of Economy of RA in close cooperation with the Armenian National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of RA. Local authorities, communities and public organizations also had their great contribution to the implementation of the Project.
The Pilot Project mainly involved the youth and the women from the local communities around the monuments. Seminars were organized for the local communities aimed at raising public awareness on the importance of preservation of the historical and cultural heritage, at introducing them to the conceptual approaches of UNESCO and involving them in the tourism development processes in their communities.
During the Project the participants were also engaged in revealing new tangible and intangible cultural values typical for the region and developing new tourist products. Another outcome of the seminars is the database on tourism attractions and services, which will serve as ground for the development of tourism activities in the region, contribute to local economy and reduce poverty.
A Tourism Council was established from among the project participants, which is responsible for further implementation of the Project.
The Pilot Project serves as a successful sample for the other communities in Armenia where there are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
