UNDP Armenia Presents Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project

UNDP Armenia Presents

Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project Content Integrated Rural Tourism IRTD Project introduction Development Project Rural Tourism Inventory Piloting Speakers Arman Valesyan-Project Coordinator Varduhi Sargsyan-Inventory Task Leader Photos provided by JODI HILTON PHOTOJOURNALISM Developed for AUA Ecotourism in Armenia Conference Date: 15 April, 2017

Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project Facts Project Target: 60 villages throughout Armenia Project Duration: September 2016 - December 2019 Project Donor: Government of the Russian Federation Project Implementation Agency: UNDP Armenia Implementing Partner: RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development Project Budget: $3, 000

Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project Component 1: Planning • Inventory • Partnership Platforms • University Involvement Component 2: Increase Income Level • Pro-business oriented projects Component 3: DMO • Local destination management institutions

Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project

Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Process Plan Preliminary design of the methodology Piloting the preliminary design in two marzes Analyzing and reflecting on the pilot phase Revising and finalizing the methodology Shortlisting villages from the pilot marzes

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Information Sought Data Sourcing Attractions • Nature • Human made • Human Living Activities • Recreation / Entertainment Secondary data Tourism Potential • ü Phase 1 - National • • Phone interviews • Support Services / Infrastructure • • Hospitality Transportation Food Service Other ü Phase 2 – Short list • Socio-Economic Characteristics • Primary data – field visits, in • Demography depth interviews, direct • Geopolitics observation • Economy

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Data Collection / Process and Tools Questionnaire Main Data Source Additional Data Source Data Collectors Supervised by 1. Nature Secondary Phone interviews Specialist Team 1 Expert 1 2. Human Made Secondary Specialist Team 2 Expert 2 3. Human Living Phone interviews Secondary Call Center Expert 2 4. Services & Infrastructure 4. 1. Recreation & Entertainment 4. 2. Support Services Phone interviews Secondary Call Center Expert 2 5. Village Secondary Phone interviews Specialist Team 5 Expert 1

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Evaluation of tourism resources in terms of tourism potential Resource Types 1. Nature 2. Human Made Evaluation Criteria Security Attractiveness 3. Human Living 4. 1. Recreation / Entertainment Services 4. 2. Support Services / Infrastructure Accessibility Potential time to spend

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Evaluation Interface Attractiveness Security # Comment Emotional-aesthetical attractiveness Assessment Comment Uniqueness 1 2 3 4 Assessment Comment 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Potential use time Comment Accessibility Average Assessment Comment Potential use time Assessment Comment

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Evaluation Scale N Criteria Security 1 Existence of life, health and comfort threats Attractiveness Average of assessments of the subcomponents below Emotional-aesthetical attractiveness 2 Uniqueness Assessed according to the presented scale Time period How long is it possible to enjoy? (without time of reaching the destination) 1. Very low Existence of a life threat Assessment 2. Low 3. Average 4. High Existence of a threat of getting a Existence of a threat of There is a possibility of heavy injury or a serious health getting a slight injury or inconvenience which is not problem a slight health problem dangerous for health 5. Very high Secure / safe Absolutely unattractive Little attractive Attractive Very attractive Extremely attractive Nothing unique or unique only within the village Unique not only within the village but also for the surrounding villages Up to 1 h 1 h - 0. 5 day (included) Accessibility 3 Accessibility from the village to destination Only on foot, the route is difficult, requires special preparation or equipment Time period How long is it possible to enjoy? 4 (without time of reaching the destination) Up to 1 h Unique on regional level Unique on country level 0. 5 - 1 day (included) 1 - 2 days (included) Unique globally more than 2 days Only on foot, the route is of little By almost all means of Takes up to 0. 5 h by all means of or medium difficulty, doesn't Only off-road vehicles transportation, takes more transportation, or up to 20 require special preparation or than 0. 5 h minutes on foot, easy route equipment 1 h - 0. 5 day (included) 0. 5 - 1 day (included) 1 - 2 days (included) more than 2 days

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Evaluation Guide Criteria Questionnaire Security Attractiveness standard - overall - if there are no objects of interest in the village and around it, put NE standard - for the most attractive object standard - overall standard - for the most attractive object 4. 1 Entertainment infrastructures and services standard - overall - if there are no objects of interest in the village and around it, put NE standard - for the most attractive object 4. 2 Supporting infrastructures and services standard - if there are no hospitality and food service options, put NE special - if there are no hospitality and food service options, put NE 1 2 3 Nature Man-made Lifestyle Accessibility Time standard standard - Accessibility of the majority of objects of interest from the village - total during the touristic period - if there are no objects of interest in the village and around it, put NE special

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Data Consolidation Matrix # 1. Nature 2. Human Made 3. Human living 4. 1. Entertainment / recreation services 4. 2. Support services and infrastructures Overall Sec. Attr. Acc. Time Av. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Data Consolidation Matrix # 1. Nature 2. Human Made 3. Human living 4. 1. Entertainment / recreation services 4. 2. Support services and infrastructures Overall Sec. Attr. Acc. Time Av. 1 3. 50 3. 33 3. 50 2. 50 3. 21 5. 00 2. 17 4. 50 1. 50 3. 29 4. 50 1. 33 2. 50 1. 00 2. 33 ԳՉ 1. 00 5. 00 2. 00 4. 00 2. 00 3. 25 4. 50 1. 97 3. 63 1. 60 2. 92 2 3. 50 3. 83 3. 50 4. 00 3. 71 4. 00 3. 25 4. 50 2. 00 2. 75 ԳՉ 1. 00 5. 00 1. 50 4. 00 2. 00 3. 13 4. 25 2. 27 3. 25 2. 40 3. 04 3 3. 50 4. 00 3. 50 3. 00 4. 33 3. 50 4. 50 3. 83 4. 50 1. 50 2. 50 ԳՉ 1. 00 5. 00 1. 00 3. 00 1. 00 2. 50 4. 00 2. 27 3. 25 2. 20 2. 93 4 3. 50 3. 17 4. 00 3. 42 3. 00 3. 50 3. 00 4. 00 3. 38 4. 50 1. 17 2. 50 1. 00 2. 29 5. 00 1. 50 3. 25 5. 00 1. 75 5. 00 3. 69 4. 20 2. 22 3. 90 2. 50 3. 20 5 3. 00 3. 17 3. 50 3. 29 4. 50 1. 17 2. 50 1. 00 2. 29 5. 00 1. 50 3. 25 5. 00 1. 50 4. 00 2. 00 3. 13 4. 10 2. 10 3. 70 2. 20 3. 03 6 3. 50 3. 67 3. 50 4. 00 3. 67 3. 50 2. 50 3. 00 2. 50 2. 88 4. 50 1. 50 2. 50 7 4. 00 2. 67 4. 00 2. 50 3. 29 5. 00 1. 17 5. 00 1. 00 3. 04 4. 50 1. 33 2. 50 1. 50 2. 46 5. 00 1. 50 3. 25 5. 00 4. 50 5. 00 4. 88 4. 70 2. 23 4. 30 2. 30 3. 38 8 3. 00 2. 17 3. 50 2. 00 2. 67 3. 50 2. 33 3. 50 2. 96 4. 50 3. 67 4. 50 3. 50 4. 04 9 2. 50 2. 83 3. 50 2. 83 4. 50 2. 00 4. 00 2. 00 3. 13 4. 50 2. 00 2. 75 5. 00 1. 50 3. 25 5. 00 2. 50 5. 00 2. 00 3. 63 4. 30 2. 17 4. 00 2. 00 3. 12 10 3. 50 3. 83 3. 50 4. 00 3. 71 3. 00 3. 50 3. 00 4. 00 3. 38 4. 50 2. 00 2. 75 5. 00 1. 50 3. 25 5. 00 3. 00 4. 00 3. 50 3. 88 4. 20 2. 77 3. 60 3. 00 3. 39 11 3. 50 4. 00 4. 50 4. 00 2. 83 3. 50 2. 50 3. 21 4. 50 2. 00 2. 75 5. 00 1. 50 3. 25 5. 00 1. 00 4. 00 1. 50 2. 88 4. 40 2. 27 3. 80 2. 40 3. 22 ԳՉ ԳՉ 1. 00 5. 00 1. 50 3. 00 2. 88 4. 13 2. 03 3. 00 2. 20 2. 84 1. 00 5. 00 1. 50 2. 00 2. 50 4. 00 2. 13 3. 25 2. 20 2. 90

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Village Selection Defining criteria Discussing criteria with the Committee (donors, state) Presenting to the private sector and state Shortlisting Long-listing villages Field Research Final Selection

IRTD: Rural Tourism Resources Inventory Data Limitations Limitation Measures Not all data available from secondary resources: Checking information directly from village administrations Topics not covered or slightly covered in secondary sources. Collecting primary data for shortlisted villages during Phase 2 Information on villages joint into bigger communities available only for bigger communities. Making use of the professional experience and expertise of Experts and Specialists Subjectivity of evaluation Defining the evaluation scale as specifically as possible Each questionnaire evaluated by 2 professionals independently

Integrated Rural Tourism Development Project Final Design - Vision Fully digital, mapable, plug & play Sustainability • Update mechanism (crowdsourcing, verification/validation) • Institutionalization Usage beyond IRTD program – a tool for: • Tourism businesses (operators, agencies, etc. ) • Organizations implementing projects in tourism sector

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