YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. The names of three Armenian villages nominated for the “Best Tourism Villages” program by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will be announced in July.

The Tourism Committee of Armenia has already completed the application collecting process, and now the assessment stage is underway.

Public Relations and Digital Marketing Expert at the Tourism Committee Gayane Ayvazyan told Armenpress that a total of 76 applications have been received. More villages were nominated from Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, Lori, Kotayk and Shirak provinces.

The program requirements are the followings: the village population must not surpass 15,000, the village must be known for any type of economic activity – agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, etc, and the village must have unique tourism offers or lifestyle.

“There was quite a big interest, we were receiving many calls and letters. 76 applications were received, some of which are repeated. Individuals could also submit applications. Why we did so? Because we wanted to see what villages exist, because very often applying only to specialists, we could miss interesting villages. It’s a very good opportunity for us to engage different people and get offers from them”, Gayane Ayvazyan said.

All villages will be examined with all their opportunities, and three of them will be selected. After that the UNWTO will select the best village. All member states of the Organization can nominate villages.

The initiative includes three pillars: 

1. 1. The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Label: The Label will recognize a village which is an outstanding example of a rural tourism destination with recognized cultural and natural assets, that preserves and promotes rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and has a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental.
2. The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Upgrade Program: The Upgrade program will benefit a number of villages that do not fully meet the Label criteria. These villages will receive support from UNWTO and its Partners in improving elements of the areas identified as gaps in the evaluation process.
3. The ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Network: The Network will provide a space for exchanging experiences and good practices, learning, and opportunities. It will include representatives of the villages awarded the ‘Best Tourism Village by UNWTO’ Label, the villages participating in the Upgrade Program, as well as experts, public and private sector partners engaged in the promotion of tourism for rural development.

“I want to note that this is a continuous program, therefore, new villages can be nominated in coming years. It’s possible to work on the development of that villages within a year and again nominate them”, Gayane Ayvazyan said, adding that there are opportunities of implementing different projects and works for development of villages.

Interview by Anna Gziryan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan