TATEV REVIVAL PROJECT IMPROVING LOCAL LIVELIHOODS

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1 TATEV REVIVAL PROJECT IMPROVING LOCAL LIVELIHOODS

2 Outline National Competiveness Foundation of Armenia Tourism and Poverty Alleviation Debate Armenia s Tourism Policy Highlights The Tatev Revival Project Concluding Remarks

3 National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia Established partnership between the Government of Armenia and a group of prominent global businessmen of Armenian origin to achieve breakthrough development toward national competitiveness through public-private partnerships, mobilizing strategic investments and catalyzing economic growth Key Areas of Economic Activity Healthcare Tourism Education Special Projects Tourism: Acts as the NTO Project implementation designed to create enabling environments for development across sectors, exchange and diffusion of cross-sectoral knowledge and knowhow Chaired by the Prime Minister Mr. T. Sargsyan

4 Tourism and Poverty Alleviation Is Tourism an Effective Tool for Poverty Reduction? Traditional impact measures: contribution to GDP and employment, direct and indirect tourism expenditures, international arrivals, length of stay, bed occupancy etc Conspicuous absentee: inception of pro poor tourism policies and inclusive rural development International discourse and economic analysis: different types of poverty, different types of tourism, different types of empirical evidence.. Leakages vs. linkages, euphemism vs. despondency in destination effects and beneficiary impact Key facts About 10% of global GDP About 30% of global exports Large source of global employment and largely labor intensive Generates about 1.5 jobs in related industries Accounts for about 60% women employment globally About half of the workforce is under 25 Fundamental Challenge: how to enable tourism ecosystems that positively affect communities, lives of poor people and raise them out of the poverty trap in a self reenforcing manner

5 Armenia s Tourism Policy Highlights Effective national policy and policy framework: strategies, policies, statutory and non-statutory regulations, infrastructure, social programs, etc. Social dialogue, social cohesion and preservation of local identities: engagement of communities and tourism industry for better need assessment and servicing, promotion of local ownership Key facts 2011 Population 3.1 mln GDP per capita $ 3,300 Poverty 35% Exports 24% of GDP Public Private Partnership Developments: promotion of dialogue, engagement of private sector, local and central governments in development project planning, implementation and delivery Local Employment and Income Opportunities: creation of local jobs and income opportunities especially for women and young workers

6 Tatev Revival Project: Sustainable Tourism Development Sustainable and Attractive Destination Community development Tatev Monastery Revival Key facts Tourism Development Key objectives 8 communities Small Population Population outflows and aging Low Income level Agriculture Beautiful nature Spiritual and cultural revival Income generation and job creation Natural resource preservation Tourism Development Local Capacity Enhancement

7 Tatev Revival Project: Pillars Key components Infrastructure Access Drinking water supply Sewage treatment Waste disposal and collection ICT Hospitality infrastructure Retail Market Visitor Information and financial access Arts and crafts center Bakery and hospitality center Revival of the local cuisine B&B s chain Eco-tourism Community Fairs Agro-tourism infrastructure Treatment of non-arable lands for crop cultivation Establishment of orchards Creation of Agro processing and packaging capacities Establishment of local supply chains

8 Tatev Revival Project: Development Process Communication and Targeting Key Stakeholders Local Ownership Women and Young Workers Social Dialogue The Community and the poor All levels of government The private sector The tourism sector International organizations NGO s

9 Tatev Revival Project: Activities Promote Local Ownership and Community Participation Support community institutional strengthening for infrastructure management Undertake capacity building for pro-poor tourism products and microentrepreneurship development Provide training and skill development with special focus on women and young workers Encourage preservation of local culture and traditions Facilitate access to preferential financing facilities with low interest rates Extend Public-Private Partnerships for future developments Promote community-based tourism networks in the region

10 Concluding Remarks Tourism can t develop in isolation from general micro-economic context Prioritizing and targeting pro-poor tourism led development strategies Facilitating opportunities and capacity building for the poor Engaging in social dialogue

11 Thank You Arman Khachaturyan Chief Executive Officer