Within the framework of the ““Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” (LILA) project, a three-day media tour was organized on May 5-7 by WWF Caucasus in Armenia (WWF-Armenia) and the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO in Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions.
The outcomes of the project were presented to journalists during the media tour.
Lilya Torosyan, Tourism Officer of the LILA Project, interpreted the project interventions presented by the SDA NGO, including those aimed at promoting the supply chain, developing sustainable and inclusive tourism, improving the living conditions and infrastructure of local businesses, and developing the skills and capabilities of tourism and hospitality sector employees.
The media tour participants visited the beneficiaries of the LILA project in Vayots Dzor region: the “Art Cheese” Cheese Tasting Room, the “Sheram” Local Cuisine, the “Arpa” Environmental Foundation, the “Poonj”, “Krya” and “Old Bridge” wine tasting halls, the “Nor Tours” gastroyard, as well as an agricultural cooperative located in the Shaghat settlement of the Syunik region.
LILA Project Coordinator Naira Yeritsyan presented the project in detail, the work carried out, and the results recorded, including WWF-Armenia’s introduction of pasture management and conservation regulations, the integration of the “landscape-based value chain” concept into conservation agreements signed with state institutions in target settlements, as well as steps taken to develop community skills and capacities for sustainable use of natural resources.
This component included visits to a solar power station installed in the Shaghat settlement of Syunik region, as well as a mobile solar power station and a stock watering point located in the Shatin community of Vayots Dzor.
During the media tour, media representatives, through interviews with project beneficiaries, revealed project interventions in the South of Armenia from an environmental and tourism development perspective.
Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia (LILA) project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by WWF-Armenia in collaboration with SDA NGO.