“Quality Certification System in Agrotourism” CerTourSTEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

Suruceni village, Ialoveni region, Republic of Moldova11-13 December, 2013

The project progress in Armenia

Project Promotion through actions at the national and local levels

• State authorities

Meetings and presentation of CerTour project has been organized in 2 Departments of the Ministry of Economy: Tourism Department and Licensing and Permits Agency, as well as to Tourism specialists at the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia -NCFA. They welcomed the Action and will provide with support and expertise.

Project Promotion through actions at the national and local levels

• Stakeholders of the tourism, particularly rural/agro/community based and adventure tourism:– SMEs providing accommodation and catering

services (B&Bs, guesthouses, small hotels, inns, wineries, small restaurants, farms, etc in countryside)

– Tour operators– Union of Incoming Touroperators– Guide Guild– B&B Association

Project Promotion through actions at the national and local levels

Communication with Third Parties , involved in Tourism Development • Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC), a five-

year USAID funded project (www.edmc.am). Hospitality is among the four supported sector of EDMC.

• EU Delegation to Armenia has been informed about Action and the relevant documents are submitted.

• The Local Coordinator participated and informed about CerTour project at the meeting with main tourism stakeholders at the World Bank Country Office in Armenia. The World Bank is going to invest in the Tourism Development project in Armenia soon.

• The project local staff attended the Second Annual Community Festival, organized by Counterpart International Armenia’s, where 43 partner communities showcased their local traditions and handicraft on October 1, 2013.

• Presentation of the project at the Investment Meeting in Syunik Marz (Province)

Presentation of CerTour project and Communication with NGOs, involved in

Rural Development

Are very interested in rural tourism and are willing to participate in CerTour

project activities

potential members of the

Transnational Assessors Registry

Green Lane NGO Dedicated to Armenia's Organic Foods and

Agricultural Development (www.greenlane.am)

ECOGLOBE NGO and ECOGLOBE LTD

the internationally recognized organic certification body founded in 2002. It is

pioneering in Armenia and other countries of CIS ( www.ecoglobe.am)

Homeland Development Initiative Foundation (“HDIF”)

 aims to initiate, facilitate, and nurture sustainable development initiatives in Armenian communities

( http://hdif.org)

Bringing Success to the Rural Communities of Armenia

Heifer International’s Armenia program

has assisted more than 10,000 families in building small, viable farm businesses

(http://www.heifer.org/armenia/)

WWF- Armenia Community-based tourism Projects in close

vicinity to protected areas

Armenian National Agrarian University

Prepares the course of lectures on Agro-tourism within the framework of

Tempus “Development of new modules for international bachelor and master

programmes in sustainable tourism management” Project

All other NGOs in the regions of Armenia working in tourism field

Negotiations to obtain the financial support

• Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC), a five-year USAID funded project (www.edmc.am). Hospitality is among the four supported sector of EDMC. The application has developed and submitted in order to obtain the financial support to the project.

Communications with possible structures to provide the services

are undertaken: • Study of the current status in the project

regions

• Study of customers needs and expectations

• Good practices research in 3 countries

STUDY OF THECURRENT SITUATION IN RURAL TOURISM - AGROTOURISM

IN ARMENIA

November 2013

Thank you for Thank you for attention!attention!