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Armenian State Pedagogical University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences of Vienna have been implementing a joint project since June 2016.
The objective of the project is to explore the prospects of tourism in the Caucasus region, together with the local population and other stakeholders and implement joint programs aimed at developing tourism in the region. During the past two years, the parties have been able to analyze and reveal the opportunities for tourism development in various communities in Armenia and Georgia. Now they have launched the next phase of the project - the case study in the selected communities in Armenia and Georgia. Field research has been carried out in Meghradsor community in Kotayk region (Armenia).
Talking to old.aspu.am, Prof. Ashot Khoetsyan, Head of the Chair of Geography and its Teaching Methods, stressed the importance of the project and transdisciplinary approach. Future historians, ecologists and sociologists are participating in this phase of the project with future geologists.
The aim of the research is to identify the possible ways of tourism development in the given area in cooperation with students and with the use of different methods, which will enable to discover opportunities for both tourism development and community development.
"Many villages in Armenia are located in areas which have versatile resources but they are in poor social and economical situation because of ineffective management,” Ashot Khoetsyan said adding that above-mentioned reasons directly affect tourism development.
He says during the cooperation with Austrian colleagues the Armenian side has received educational and methodological guidelines for carrying out the research. Also, workshops were organized for students to familiarize them with international experience and to provide them with relevant knowledge.
Mr. Khoetsyan is convinced that they have been able to implement the main idea of the project – to ensure cooperation between lecturers, international observers, experts, and most importantly, local population.
The foreign partners of the project stressed the importance of the initiative for students and the locals. They say that it is also a successful example of cooperation between partner universities. Involving students and young scholars in such initiatives, Armenian State Pedagogical University enables them to combine theoretical knowledge with practical work which is essential for their professional development.
