State Committee for Tourism of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investment of Armenia

Tourism Development of the RA Vision | Strategy | Action plan 2017

AGENDA

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• Statistics

• State policy goals, objectives and obstacles

• Action Plan 2017

• Gaps

STATISTICS

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TOURISM AS ONE OF THE MAIN DRIVERS OF ECONOMY

Source: World Travel and Tourism Council World Average – 3.3%

Emerging Destinations – 4.4%

Source:Armenian International Visitor Survey

DIVERSITY OF TOURISM

DOMESTIC TOURISM

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GROSS RECEIPTS

• Gross receipts from incoming tourism for 2015 is $950 million

• Gross receipts from domestic tourism for 2015 is $280 million

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ACCOMODATIONS

Number of accommodation establishments

Number of rooms

Number of beds

440

(256) 60 %

In Regions

(184)40 % in Yerevan

14000

28000

In 2017

In 2017

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INTERNATIONAL HOTEL BRANDS IN ARMENIA

Currently in Armenia In Pipeline

2 hotels

2 hotels

In 2018

In 2018

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OUR TARGETS BY 2020

• 2,5 million incoming tourists annually, of which 1,2 million Diaspora Armenians’ visits

• 1,5 million domestic tourism • $ 2,5 billion annual receipts from incoming tourism • Increase average spending per visitor from $700 to $1000 • $450 million receipts from domestic tourism • 50 new hotels with 3,000 beds • 15,000 additional jobs

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CHALLENGES

• Accessibility: direct air transportation with many of potential markets

• Improving the service quality: Developing uniformly high quality visitor services throughout the country

• Need to establish an NTO and a Convention Bureau • Improving road access and infrastructure in some of the country’s

most spectacular natural areas; • Improving the legal framework for tourism development • Improving statistics for strong strategic planning

OUR VISION

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Through sustainable development of tourism contribute to: • Consistent and proportionate territorial economic development of Armenia; create economic

opportunities for local communities • Growth of national income, improvement of living standards; • Preservation, development, proper presentation and promotion of historical and cultural

heritage; • Preservation, rational consumption and development of natural resources, as well as solution

of environmental issues; • Increasing awareness about Armenia and Armenian people; • Development of an image of Armenia as a top desirable tourist destination; • Strengthening and development of Armenia-Diaspora relations and preservation of national

identity • Preservation, development and promotion of universal values, strengthening of international

solidarity and peace as well as increasing the role of Armenia in these processes.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Enhance the image of Armenia as a stable and safe country, with a favorable and

attractive environment for entrepreneurship, investments and tourism;

• Expand and enhance data collection and analysis and market research

• Diversification of Armenian tourism product;

• Diversification of markets focusing on markets with accessibility, proximity and

interest towards Armenian tourism offer

• Overcoming seasonality issues

• Accessibility of Armenia to world markets.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Development of infrastructures

• Quality of service - Provide international standard services and amenities for visitors

• Building stronger public/private partnerships for tourism product development and

investments

• Efficient Destination management

• Support the private sector

• Enhance International cooperation

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PILLARS OF TOURISM POLICY

Infrastructure development

Institutional Improvements

▪ Tourism offer diversification

▪ International cooperation

▪ Stakeholder coordination

Capacity building

▪ Marketing and promotion

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INSTITUTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS

• Evaluate the impact of tourism growth through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data: • Visitor Surveys • Implement SECT System -Border electronic control information system • Satellite account

• Improve the legislation regulating the tourism sector. • New Tourism Law - licensing and certification • DMO/Information Centers • Administrative Register

• Revise taxation and customs policies, improve tax administration, create a mechanism of direct allotments for the development of tourism attractions from tourism generated incomes within the framework of RA legislation.

• Continue easing accessibility to Armenia through visa requirements

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STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION AND CONSOLIDATION

• Enhance the public and stakeholder awareness about the State Tourism policy, goals and actions through

• Tourism Advisory Board

• Donor Coordination Council

• State Inter-agency Coordination Board

• Community development and education for understanding the tourism benefits

• Strengthen private sector through professional associations

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MARKETING AND PROMOTION

• Develop an annual marketing strategy: define target markets, action plans and KPIs • Develop marketing and PR strategies for all stages of the tourist decision making • Raising awareness about Armenia through PR and marketing campaigns

• Branding of the country as a destination, profiling individual tourist sites and their effective presentation and promotion in global (target) markets

• Tourism Branding • Development of marketing collateral • Aggressive electronic marketing and promotion • Travel Expos • Road shows • FAM trips

• Launch aggressive digital media campaign (website, social media) • Involve trade representatives, diplomatic representatives and the Diaspora in promoting

Armenia • Undertake annual domestic tourism campaign. 8) Promote importance of tourism

industry to Armenian public.

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TOURISM OFFER DIVERSIFICATION

• Establishment of DMOs and Information Centers in the regions • Develop Site management plans for major tourism attractions • Promote PPP to attract investors • Design new, competitive destinations, prioritize tourism sites and attractions in Armenia • Design and develop new attractive, competitive (including unique) itineraries • Evaluate main tourism resources required for the development of tourism priority directions in Armenia • Ensure effective use and preservation of natural, cultural and historical resources, identification of new

resources, their design and commercialization. • Revitalize national traditions and culture through events and festivals • Categorize High Involvement and Low Involvement tourism products and develop strategies to package and

promote: • Develop winter and sports tourism investment packages • Develop spa and health tourism. • Develop ecotourism include specially protected nature areas in the tourism product. • Adventure tourism • Religious Tourism • Cultural tourism • MICE Tourism

• Ensure regional cooperation and create a regional tourism product.

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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

• Active participation in UNWTO activities

• Active participation in Commonwealth of Independent States Tourism Council

• Active participation in other world tourism organizations

• Ensure private sector participation in Travel Trade associations

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CAPACITY BUILDING

• Develop a quality standards/certification program for the tourism sector • Support the operations of the International Study Center for Guides • Ensuring participation of all stakeholders in the process of developing tourism guidelines and

professional education programs • Establish sound qualification system for accommodation and food outlets, develop B&B network

particularly in the Marzes • Ensure quality management (including control) through regulation and voluntary certification • Maintain and enhance tourist guide services through improvement of licensing system and

continual training • Organization of seminars and trainings for communities in the region • Establish active and efficient cooperation among academia, employers and stakeholder state

entities in the design and approval of educational programs to ensure their consistency with the current demand.

• Support cooperation with international universities and organizations in accreditation of tourism courses

• Develop cooperation among academia, employers, job agencies as well as training and retraining centers.

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INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

• Expand airline route network and frequency of flights to key markets. • Improve quality and maintenance of roads between tourism areas and to borders. • Design & implement strict planning controls in tourism areas • Devise and implement infrastructure development and investment plans for

tourism areas in cooperation with the private sector. • Improve the signage, tourist services and facilities and information at key

attractions and sites. • Improve and modernize communications infrastructure. • Encourage establishment and development of mid-market accommodations and

food outlets. • Development of a unified system of tourism information centers in Yerevan and

the regions

ACTION PLAN 2017

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Accessibility Affordability Awareness

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TARGET MARKETS* Target markets

Proximity

Accessibility

Interest

Low-investment product packaging

Potential target market

development strategy

High Investment product

development strategy

❑ Internal market

❑ Iran

❑ Western Europe*

❑ GCC countries

❑ Russia

❑ Diaspora

TO EXPLORE

❑ China

❑ Japan

*Also focuses on countries with direct flights to Armenia

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Target markets Proximity Individual tourist

Accessibility Group travelers

Interest Business travelers

Match and Package Low-investment products with

target markets

Strategy for Potential target market development

Strategy for High Investment product

development

Raising awareness

about Armenia

GOALS OF THE SHORT TERM ACTION PLAN

Packaging of low-investment products*

• Adventure tourism

• Religious Tourism

• Cultural tourism

• MICE Tourism * includes route development: enotourism, hiking, biking, mountaineering, gastro, birdwatching

▪ Tourism asset database

LOW INVESTMENT TOURISM PRODUCTS Target markets

Proximity

Accessibility

Interest

Low-investment product packaging

Potential target market

development strategy

High Investment product

development strategy

Strategy for Development of New Products

• Health tourism • Rural tourism - Homestays • Winter tourism

HIGH INVESTMENT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Target markets

Proximity

Accessibility

Interest

Low-investment product packaging

Potential target market

development strategy

High Investment product

development strategy

• Fostering relations between tourism industry businesses of Armenia and Iran • Developing of “Yerevan-Aras” itinerary, opening of an Armenian tourism office

in Aras free economic zone • FAM trips for travel journalists and industry professionals • Participation in travel expos in Iran • Road shows

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Internal

• Promo events and presentations in at least 3 Diaspora Armenian communities in cooperation with the church, Armenian Embassies and local community organizations

• Promotion articles in Diaspora magazines • Dissemination of information about Armenia and Armenian tourism products through news

channels of the Diaspora religious, cultural, Armenian studies’ centers and professional unions. • Negotiations with national TV channels for broadcasting programs about Armenia and Armenian

tourism product

• State support to organization of festivals in regions • State support to development of hiking trails • Development of less known tourism destinations • Public relations and awareness campaigns

MARKETING AND PROMOTION – BY COUNTRY

Iran

Diaspora

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• Participation in travel expos • Promoting Armenia through travel guides • Opening of an Armenian info office in Germany in cooperation with

German “Kerkher” company • Further development, updating and promotion of https://www.erlebe-

armenien.de/ German language website about Armenia • Development of religious, cultural and eco tour packages in German

language • Road shows in a number of Western European cities • FAM trips for travel journalists and industry professionals • Publishing of at least 5 articles about Armenia in popular Western

European magazines

Western Europe

GCC Countries • Road shows • FAM trips for travel journalists and industry professionals • Participation in travel expos

MARKETING AND PROMOTION – BY COUNTRY

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• Year of Armenia in Russia: organization of events and presentations engaging state and private sectors, presentation of the project “Russian trace”

• Participation in large-scale B2B and B2C international travel expos, including “MITT’ 2017”, “Leisure” and other specialized tourism expos and conferences

• Opening of representations in target cities • FAM trips for travel journalists, industry professionals and MICE tour

operators • Broadcasting of 4-7min films about Armenia as a touristic destination

and the “Russian trace” in Armenia and 45 secs thematic promo ads on leading Russian TV channels

• Articles about Armenia in popular Russian magazines • Publishing a guidebook on Armenia in “Orange guide” and “Polyglot”

guide publishing series (8000 copies) • Promo materials and boards using the areas belonging to Armenian

businessmen (supermarkets, pharmacies, hotel, etc.) • Other marketing collateral

Russia

MARKETING AND PROMOTION – BY COUNTRY

GAPS

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• Improvement of the tourism information and statistical system: • 2017 Survey

• Border electronic control information system (SECT) • “Tourism Satellite Account” system • Policy papers (licensing of tour agencies, guides, hotels and restaurants) –

international expertise • The preparation of detailed Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) Plans • The preparation of building design and planning standards - The master plan should

provide a vision for tourism development in Armenia and should enhance the competitiveness of Armenia as tourist destination;

• The preparation of area management plans for sensitive sites • Establishment of NTO • Marketing and promotion actions/events in target markets • Tourism info centers in Yerevan and the regions • Administrative register • Tourism asset database • Festivals • Participation in travel expos (major and specialized)

GAPS

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GAPS

• Policy papers (licensing of tour agencies, guides, hotels and restaurants) – international

expertise • Tourism asset database • Improvement of the tourism information and statistical system:

• “Tourism Satellite Account” system • 2017 Survey • Border electronic control information system (SECT)

• National tourism action plan (Master plan) • Development of marketing collateral • Marketing and promotion actions/events in target markets • Tourism info centers in Yerevan and the regions • Administrative register • City asset mapping • Festivals • Participation in travel expos (major and specialized)

THANK YOU

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