YEREVAN-TOURINFO- At the 4th Conference on Ecotourism, organized by the American University of Armenia (AUA) which took place during August 30,31 at Yerevan, Alfred Kocharyan, Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Committee, an affiliation of the Ministry of Economy, said that The Armenian government will make additional efforts to help develop ecotourism in the country, and the government intends to diversify the development of tourism with marketing campaigns, both stimulating the popularization of this industry and creating additional opportunities for it. He said that International experience is extremely important for the development of the sector, especially, when it comes to the rational use of protected natural areas, creating opportunities for increasing the attractiveness of the country. They need to take a fresh look at the use of nature reserves and protected areas, to stimulate the development of appropriate infrastructures to minimize possible negative environmental impacts
In turn, the Executive Director of the International Union of Ecotourism, John Bruno, said Armenia has unique opportunities for the development of the ecotourism. He emphasized that the rational use of natural resources and a balanced attitude towards them may have a strong positive impact on the country’s economy. He said ecotourism accounts for more than 10% of the global GDP. In 2016 alone, about 115 million people were involved in this sector, which was about 3.5% of the world’s population. ‘Armenia has a huge potential for the development of the ecotourism, but a restrained and correct approach is needed’.
