Dilijan, one of Armenia’s loveliest resort towns and most visited tourist sites, now has a new and attractive tourist information center in the city’s newly-built stylish Sharambeyan district. Operating as an affiliate of the Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) the center’s experienced multilingual staff provides visitors with information on experiences tourists can get in Dilijan.

This exciting initiative is being implemented through the joint efforts of the Armenian government, CAPS, the Tufenkian Hospitality and the Hovnanian Family Foundation.  It offers an excellent example of successful cooperation between the public and the private sector.

“Opening this center is crucial for two reasons: first, it provides focal point for tourists to get information they need; second, it provides focal point for tourism providers to promote themselves.” Hayley Alexander, CAPS Chief of Party said in his speech at the official opening ceremony of the center.

Dilijan was chosen as a pilot site for implementing CAPS tourism cluster strategy in 2006. Since then CAPS has helped to establish a local tourism cluster in Dilijan and increase competitiveness through a combination of business capacity strengthening and workforce and infrastructure development activities.

By supporting the tourist information center, several objectives will be achieved: improving Dilijan as a tourist destination; helping Dilijan restaurants, B&Bs and others communicate their offers; and creating a place from which to offer training to the local community.

The honorable guests and keynote speakers of the event included Nerses Yeritsyan, RA Minister of Economy, Ara Petrosyan, RA Deputy Minister of Economy, Vahagn Hovnanian, ATDA Chairman, his Eminence Archimandrite Father Sasun Zmrukhtyan of Gugarats diocese of Tavush region, Armen Santrosyan, Dilijan Mayor and others.

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