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Participation in the WTM London-2024 Within the LILA Project

On November 5-7, the WTM London world tourist exhibition took place in London, at which the Tourism Committee of RA presented Armenia with a single large pavilion.

Nueva Vista Tour Operator, a partner of the project, also participated in WTM London-2024 with the support of the “Living Landscapes of Armenia for Market Development” (LILA) project.

WTM London, bringing together tourism professionals from around 184 countries, is one of the world’s leading tourism exhibitions.

The partner tour operator of the LILA project presented the tourist attraction and indigenous experiences of Armenia, as well as the sustainable, inclusive tourism results created within the framework of the LILA project.

At the exhibition, the Armenian representatives had the opportunity to communicate with visitors, specialists and potential partners.

Participation in the exhibition aimed to showcase the country’s tourism potential and offers on the international stage, to attract more tourists to Armenia and promote sustainable development.

LILA project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and implemented by the WWF Armenian Office (WWF-Armenia) in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO.

Trainings on Providing Experiential Tourism Services

As part of the “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” (LILA) and RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness” projects, training sessions on “Essentials of Experiential Tourism Services and Registration on the LIKE LOCAL Digital Platform” were held on November 2-3 in Ijevan and Yeghegnadzor.

The training, led by LIKE LOCAL platform representativeGevorg Babayan and  expert Sirarpi Fahradyan, engaged participants through interactive discussions. Attendees explored various approaches to developing tourism products and learned about factors influencing their success, along with the characteristics of providing alternative tourism services on an international platform.

Special focus was given to the demands of experiential tourism, including arts and crafts, local traditions, food service, and hygiene standards. Participants also received a detailed overview of writing guidelines for the LIKE LOCAL platform, covering account management, the use of digital tools for guest communication, and other technical aspects.

Additionally, the training emphasized skills in guest service, intercultural communication, and ethical practices, providing a comprehensive foundation for professionals aiming to enhance Armenia’s tourism offerings.

 LILA project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and implemented by the WWF Armenian Office (WWF-Armenia) in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO.

 RECONOMY is an inclusive and green economic development program of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), implemented by Helvetas in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency NGO and others in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries.

Exchange Visit to France within the “LIMOUSINE for Armenia” Project

The “LIMOUSINE for Armenia” project, a collaboration between the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO, the French-Armenian Fund, and the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), recently organized an exchange visit to France.

From September 13–20, representatives of the SDA and COAF visited France to exchange knowledge and best practices.

Arranged by the French-Armenian Fund, the visit included meetings in the Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, and Dordogne regions—areas renowned for breeding Limousin cattle. The representatives toured farms and exhibitions to gain insights into breeding and husbandry techniques for Limousin cattle, aiming to apply these practices in Armenia.

As part of this project, 50 heads of heifers of Limousin cattle breed are set to be imported from France to Armenia in the spring of 2025, with plans to establish sustainable breeding practices suited to Armenian conditions.

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Workshop on Challenges and Solutions in Armenian Slaughterhouses

As part of the “Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North 2” project, a workshop focused on current challenges in slaughterhouses and potential solutions was held on November 1-2 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. The workshop also covered the implementation of the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system and examined gender roles within the agricultural sector.

Tatevik Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia; Sona Tsarukyan, Deputy Head of the Food Safety Inspectorate of Armenia; Vahe Hovhannisyan, project manager for “Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North 2”; and Lilit Hovhannisyan, project manager for “Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia” (MAVETA), along with other officials and project partners attended the conference.

Stakeholders discussed the main issues facing the slaughterhouse sector, exploring actionable solutions. Tigran Chitchyan, associate professor at the Department of Morphology and Zoology of ANAU, presented a report on the behavior, care, and breeding characteristics of purebred livestock bred in Armenia.

Additionally, Anna Poghosyan, a gender consultant, delivered a report titled “Empowerment of Female and Male Employees and Fellow Farmers to Increase Productivity.” This presentation sparked discussions on the roles and contributions of different genders within agriculture.

The workshop concluded with a session on HACCP implementation for companies in Armenia’s milk and meat value chains, led by management systems consultant Artur Baghdasaryan.

“Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North 2” project is implemented by “Strategic Development Agency” NGO and financed by the Austrian Development Agency, the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation.

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LILA Regional Cuisine Books Launched

Within the “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” (LILA) project, the “Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions” NGO with the support of the “Strategic Development Agency” NGO organized a conference in the showroom of “Megerian Carpet”, dedicated to the strategy of national cuisine development.

The event was attended by Ursula Läubli, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia and Deputy Regional Director of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in the South Caucasus (SDC), Araksia Svajyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, Mkrtich Ayvazyan, Chairman of the “Strategic Development Agency” NGO, along with other high-ranking guests.

Sedrak Mamulyan, the chairman of the “Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions” NGO, presented the main directions of the strategy developed with the support of the Armenian Tourism Federation, which was followed by thematic panel discussions and the presentation of the “Syunik Cuisine”, “Vayots Dzor Cuisine”, “Tavush Cuisine”, “Lori Cuisine” books authored by Sedrak Mamulyan.

At the event, LILA project coordinator Alla Ghazaryan presented the importance of the books published within the project in terms of revitalizing regional cuisines and promoting gastro-tourism in the regions, emphasizing the connection between the rich nature of the regions, national cuisine, and tourism.

Then the guests had the opportunity to taste dishes and desserts prepared from the recipes of regional cuisines. The wine reception was provided by the beneficiary-partner of the LILA project “Krya” wine factory.

The books on Tavush, Lori, and Vayots Dzor were published by the “Strategic Development Agency” NGO within the framework of the “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” (LILA) project and the Syunik book was published within the RECONOMY pilot program of “Skills and Knowledge Development”.

 LILA project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and implemented by the WWF Armenian Office (WWF-Armenia) in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO.