Opening Session  

Speakers

• Welcome Remarks, Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, President, American University of Armenia
• Mr. Khachik Hakobyan, Deputy Minister of Nature Protection
• Mr. Mekhak Apresyan, RA State Tourism Committee, Deputy Chair
• Mr. Artak Grigoryan, Head of the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Tourism, Republic of Artsakh (Talking points)
• Mr. Alen Amirkhanian, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment (Presentation)

Session Topic: NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY AND ROLE OF ECOTOURISM 

Speakers

• Mekhak Apresyan, RA State Tourism Committee, Deputy Chair
• Sisak Mkhitaryan, My Armenia Program Chief of Party (Presentation)
• Arman Valesyan, Project Coordinator, Integrated Rural Tourism Development

Moderator: Alen Amirkhanian, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment

Session Topic: DIGITAL PLATFORMS IN ARMENIA: ALIGNING EFFORTS FOR BIGGER IMPACT (Video Recording: Part 1, Part 2)

Speakers

• David Kartashyan, Programme Expert, GIZ (Presentation)
• Gayane Araqelyan, Product Lead, Visit Armenia (Presentation)
• Tigran Tshorokhyan, Cofounder & CEO at Eli.am (Presentation)
• Njdeh Andreas, Director, Adventures.am (Presentation)

Moderator: Diana Avetyan, Founder, Morgan

Session Topic: PROGRESS IN INTEGRATING PROTECTED AREAS IN TOURISM (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Arsen Gasparyan, WWF (Presentation)
• Aram Aghasyan, RA Ministry of Nature Protection (Presentation)
• Vahagn Sargsyan-Abovyan, RA Ministry of Nature Protection (Presentation)
• Artur Khalatyan, RA Ministry of Nature Protection (Talking points)
• Sevak Baloyan, RA Ministry of Nature Protection (Presentation)

Moderator: Alen Amirkhanian, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment

Session Topic: REGION: ARMAVIR, ARAGATSOTN, SHIRAK (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Karen Badishyan, Head of Department of Development Programs, Tourism and Analysis, Shirak Marz (Presentation)
• Artak Farzadyan, Lake Arpi National Park (Presentation)
• Ara Marutyan, Agrolog (Video)
• Lilit Martirosyan, Director of Marketing and Sales, Nairian (Presentation)
• Gayane Grigoryan, Director, Geological Museum (Presentation)

Moderator: Gagik Gabrielyan, American University of Armenia

Session Topic: REGION: ARARAT, VAYOTZ DZOR, SYUNIK (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Lusine Baghdasaryan, Zangezur Biosphere Complex (Presentation)
• Lily Torosian, Khosrov Forest State Reserve (Presentation)
• Arusiak Mikaélian, “Gnishik” Protected Landscape (Presentation, Video)
• Sargis Aghayan, Young Biologists Association (Presentation)
• Ruzan Ghazaryan, Director, “Ashkhatank ev hayrenik” NGO (Presentation)
• Armen Samvelyan, Deputy Head, Meghri Community (Presentation)

Moderator: Gagik Gabrielyan, American University of Armenia

Session Topic: REGION: LORI, TAVUSH, AND GEGHARKUNIK (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Tatevik Sargsyan, IDeA, Dilijan Community Development (Presentation)
• Karen Balyan, Head of Tourism, Youth and Culture Department, Chambarak Municipality
• Lilit Apujanyan, Program Coordinator, SME DNC (Presentation)
• Inga Harutyunyan, Haghartsin Development, Pahapan Development Foundation (Presentation)
• Ashot Davtyan, Vice President, TCT (Presentation)
• Vazgen Khachikyan, Director, Lori Renaissance Foundation
• Arpine Hakobyan, NGO Center, Bicycle & Village Tourism (Presentation)

Moderator: Alen Amirkhanian, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment

Session Topic: ORGANIC AGRICULTURE AND CULINARY TOURISM (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Husik Sargsyan, Economic Development Technical Programme Manager, World Vision Armenia (Presentation)
• Karine Sarkissian, Marketing Expert of OASI Project (Presentation)
• Anna Avagyan, Arevakar Travel (Presentation)
• Sedrak Mamulyan, President, Development and Maintenance of Armenian Culinary Traditions NGO
• Mariam Poghosyan, Armenian Young Women’s Association
• Gohar Khachikyan, Armenian Young Women’s Association

Moderator: Natella Mirzoyan, American University of Armenia

Session Topic: WINE TOURISM (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Hayarpi Shahinyan, Executive Assistant, Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia, Wine Tourism Development Perspectives in Armenia (Presentation)
• Silva Atoyan, Programs Manager, EVN Wine Academy/ICARE, Modern Education and Training Practices for Wine Tourism Development in Armenia: Case of EVN Wine Academy (Presentation)
• Vahe Keushguerian, Founder and CEO, WineWorks CJSC, Tourism in a Cube (Presentation)
• Artak Gabrielyan, Young Winemakers’ Union, Quality Homemade Wines for Boosting Wine Tourism in Armenia (Presentation)
• Marina Mirzabekian, Researcher and Tourism Expert, ICARE, Best Practices of Global Wine Tourism: Implications for Armenia (Presentation)
• Simon Jones, My Armenia Program Senior Tourism Specialist, Vice-President of Solimar International, Vayots dzor Wine Route (Presentation)
• Karlen Manaseryan, Tushpa Wine Cellar, Ararat Province (Presentation)

Moderator: Aram Babayan, GIZ

Session Topic: AGROTOURISM (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Haykaz Simikyan, Director, Archut Food, Organic Agrotourism (Video)
• Garik Paytyan, Agrotourism in Tavush: Ecotourism Potential of Berd and Adjacent Villages (Presentation)
• Saro Ohanyan, Horse Trails & Agrotourism, Lori (Brief description)
• Ani Melkonian, Ecotoursim in Karin Village, Aragatsotn, ATP (Presentation)

Moderator: Ruzanna Hayrapetyan, UNDP

Session Topic: TEACHING FOR ECOTOURISM (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Venera Abovyan, Teach for Armenia, How to teach to be Eco friendly (Presentation)
• Rudolf Harutyunyan, Teach for Armenia, Eco Food and Interaction with Community (Presentation)
• Olya Hovhanissyan, Teach for Armenia, Eco Bags Project (Presentation)
• Jivan Abrahamyan, Teach for Armenia, Fostering Ecotourism and Community Development (Presentation)
• Knara Ter-Hovhannisyan, Teach for Armenia, Teaching and Ecotourism (Presentation)
• Irshat Madyarov, TEFL Book, AUA (Presentation)

Moderator: Hripsime Khanzadyan and Irina Manukyan, Teach for Armenia

Session Topic: SLOCAL SERVICES: AVAILABILITY, QUALITY, AND FINANCING (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Sevak Hovhannisyan, Partner, EV Consulting
• Marianna Petrosyan, Deputy Executive Director, SME DNC (Presentation)
• Ophelie Petrossian, President, Bari Galust (Presentation)
• Gagik Aghbalyan, B&B Achajur, Tavush
• Susanna Grigoryan, Gyumri B&B
• Tsovinar Hakobyan, Trails or Change (Presentation)
• Zorair Kirakosyan, Director of Field Operations, AUA Turpanjian Rural Development Program (Presentation)

Moderator: Zorair Kirakosyan, Director of Field Operations, AUA Turpanjian Rural Development Program

Session Topic: GREEN COMMUNITIES AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Sabina Hoppe, Waste Management Expert, State of Ostergotland, Sweden (Presentation)
• Narine Avetyan, Head of Department of Territorial Investment Policy and Infrastructure
  Development, MTAD
• Eduard Mesropyan, Director, Jinj Engineering and Consulting (Presentation)
• Tigran Babayan, APPEAR, Sustainable Tourism in Mountainous Countries
• Marine Matosyan, APPEAR
• Areg Karapetyan, Director, Soluton (Presentation)

Moderator: Astghine Pasoyan, American University of Armenia

Session Topic: TOUR GUIDES: TRAINING AND STANDARDS (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Sergey Tantushyan, Director, AUA Extension
• Lusine Saghatelyan, KASA Foundation (Presentation)
• Garnik Sevoyan, Operations Director, and Naira Adamyan, Partnership and Communications Specialist, AGBU Armenian Virtual College (Presentation)
• Zaruhi Orbelyan, Deputy Director, Armenian Association of Professional Tourist Guides (Speaking points)
• Davit Hakobyan, Vice President, Guides from South NGO (Presentation)

Moderator: Areg Karapetyan, Director, Soluton

Session Topic: STUDENT RESEARCH (Video Recording)

Speakers

• Lusine Margaryan, MNP Intern, Research Paper on Information Issues in Developing Ecotourism in Armenia (Presentation)
• Narek Sahakyan, Social and Cultural Impact of Tourism on the Development of Regions (Lori Marz Example) (Presentation)
• Tigran Yengibaryan, Assessment of the Natural Resource Potential of the Hrazdan Region in the Context of Sustainable Tourism Development (Presentation)
• Elena Vedovello WWOOFing, as an Opportunity for Ecotourism in Armenia, UWC (Presentation)
• Diana Martirosyan, Equestrian Ecotour, Faculty of Tourism, Russian-Armenian University (Presentation)
• Angin Margaryan, Geographical peculiarities of the development of tourism in Armenia on the example of Vayots Dzor Marz (Presentation)
• Shushan Antonyan, Prospects and Perspectives of the Ecotourism Development in Armenia

Moderator: Norayr Benohanian, American University of Armenia

Session Topic: SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREP IN ADVENTURE TOURISM (Video Recording)

Speaker

• Spartak Hovhannisyan, The Importance of Knowledge of First Aid and Personal Safety for Eco-Tour Guides

Closing Session Video Recording