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Ecosystem platforms > TOURISM AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM

LARGER TATEV

An inclusive ecosystem stretches beyond a capital and two or three major cities. We have therefore sought to close the gap between Armenian locales and ensure development throughout the Syunik region via the creation of new jobs and the implementation of various developmental programs in Tatev and its adjacent communities.

INFRASTRUCTURE

10+ community initiatives

waste management, water supply, street lighting, addressing needs of around 6K local population

x6

shortened travel time with new and affordable transportation

x6

decreased transportation cost in average 2000 rides annually

12km

road infrastructure improvement

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

17-fold increase

in touristic flow to the region

11-fold increase

in accommodation capacity of the region

25% decrease

of local unemployment through indirect job creation

30

local SMEs supported to be set up and expanded

20+

events and festivals

10k+

participants

150

temporary jobs

77

permanent jobs

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

TATEVATUN

Tatevatun restaurant has inherited a tradition of authentic flavours and preserves Armenian recipes, especially from the Syunik region.

DEVELOPMENT OF B&BS IN NEARBY VILLAGES

The owners of guesthouses were trained and provided with full support to seize the opportunity of touristic inflows. The owners of 23 B&Bs in the Tatev region have now mastered the basics of marketing, hosted tourism company representatives, and travelled to other cities to exchange experiences with other members of the tourist trade. Participants have been given help with the registration of their businesses and the organisation of their managerial processes.

HALIDZOR GUEST HOUSE

Halidzor Guest House is a private villa located on a beautiful cliffside on the Vorotan gorge. It lies at the heart of Halidzor village, just 20 minutes walking from the Halidzor station for the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway. Its design preserves the authenticity of the local architecture and habitat.

SHEEP SHEARING FEST

Three sheep shearing festivals have been organised in Tatev region. These have provided yet another opportunity to develop tourism in the region, building bridges between various communities and private companies, and making people aware of the traditions, culture and local products of the region. On average, over 2 000 people took part in the festivals each year. Events featured sheep shearing contests, live folk music, dance, games, sports, and a fair at which local producers presented their products.

TATEV MARKET CONSTRUCTION

An important infrastructural development was the construction of a local market near the Tatev station for the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway in late 2014. The market, designed for 16 retail outlets, creates comfortable working conditions for vendors who will no longer have to use dilapidated stands.

CRAFTS SCHOOL

A crafts school project is launched in Tatev where locals attended theoretical and practical trainings in embroidery, miniature and souvenir manufacturing. Another training for locals was implemented in order to develop ecotourism and hiking. Here, participants underwent a course in the history of Tatev, learned about its ethnographic and natural features, mastered the basics of its architecture and archaeology, and went on all the hiking trails around Tatev that had been specially laid out for tourists.

NATURE CONSERVATION

TATEV NATIONAL PARK

PHASE 1

In 2015, a project was launched to create Tatev National Park to preserve the biodiversity of the area’s natural ecosystems and safeguard its historical and cultural sites. Also underway are plans to educate local people on Tatev’s natural environment, create regulated tourism and recreation, implement scientific methods of nature conservation, establish environmental monitoring processes, and restore disturbed natural ecosystems and historicalcultural complexes. The territory of ten communities were surveyed and cartographic work was performed. We expect the adoption of the Armenian Government’s decision on establishment of Tatev National Park.

EDUCATION

9

schools receive enhanced library resources

300+

children provided with schools and kindergartens with improved hard and soft infrastructures

1,000+

ours of trainings and capacity building for staff and local community members

50

children annually access engineering laboratories teaching new skills

6

staff members from local community with no higher education obtained technical skills which make them highly employable globally

30

children annually provided with professional musical education

ENGINEERING LABS

Placing great importance on the socioeconomic development of local communities, engineering labs have been opened in schools in Goris, Tatev, Halidzor and Shinuhayr. The labs present an exceptional opportunity for students to gain modern engineering experience while developing their logical reasoning skills.

NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES

Every year New Year’s performances for nearly 1,000 children from seven villages located in Tatev community are being organised.

Different actors from Yerevan put on performances for local kids each year including a Puppet Theatre, circus and other shows. At the end, all the children receive special gifts.

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Dear Visitor,

We are glad you are interested in the activities of the IDeA Foundation.

On this platform, you can learn about two-decades long thought, passion, commitment and hard work — all in pursuit of a more prosperous Armenia. The road has been long and reflections many. But we managed to achieve to a point where our work has left its mark on the lives of millions of people and we are really proud of it.

Our accomplishments are the fruit of a collective effort by hundreds of thousands of promoters and volunteers, tens of thousands of donors and supporters, hundreds of colleagues and dozens of founding partners. Together, we have shown what wonderous things can be achieved when people strive for realization of a common goal.

Allow our family, who was lucky enough to witness these remarkable achievements from the beginning, to express our sincere gratitude to numerous wonderful, caring, purposeful people and organizations that made all these achievements possible. We have the honor to present their successes and express our gratitude to them.

We have tried to present the key landmarks of our journey to a brighter Armenia, to chart the lessons learned, and some of the new approaches and initiatives they have forged — the 700 projects over the last 20 years.

We hope that learning about these works will be as pleasant for you as it is for us to tell about them.

But, more importantly, we would like to see you among those Armenians who will continue this path together with us in the future.

If a single community of like-minded people working towards the realization of a common vision of the future can achieve such a result, imagine what kind of changes can be made if the efforts of the entire nation were directed towards creation. Together we can dream.

And, together, we can make our dreams come true.

Thank You,

Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend