A BRIEF Q&A WITH KRISTINE HOVSEPYAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF LORI TOURISM DESTINATION MANAGEMENT OFFICE NGO
Back in 2020, the USAID My Armenia project launched a four-month virtual technical assistance program for Destination Management Organization (DMO) development for private sector and local community representatives aimed at increasing knowledge on establishing, managing and building DMO capacity in several regions across Armenia. As a result of the training, DMO Lori has been established and capacitated to increase cultural heritage tourism in Armenia by increasing the number of tourist visits. Can you tell us something more about the process of how DMO Lori was established, and what was the reason behind it?
Though tourism is one of the priority economic sectors in Lori, however, it was not well structured and organized, which was leading to insufficient use of the potential. The region has great potential for sustainable adventure, trekking, hiking and ecotourism, at the same time, as in every region of Armenia, it is not appropriately managed because of the lack of institutional basis.
Further development of tourism in the Lori region was requiring the establishment of a well-organized target-oriented organization to address many issues that arise in tourism sector. The role of a DMO in Lori as a catalyst for networking, partnership and coordination was crucial in initiating and implementing common agenda among private and public institutions. DMOs agenda was the development of a long-term vision for destination development and the ability to set up appropriate operational structures, which involves all stakeholders.
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a destination management organization (DMO) is a leading organizational entity which facilitates partnerships with various authorities, stakeholders, and professionals to achieve a unified mission towards a destination’s vision. Briefly, can you define the roles and functions of DMO Lori?
One of the main roles of Lori DMO is to coordinate the tourism sector in the region and create a public-private partnership. Lori DMO strongly believes that working synergistically with all stakeholders of the tourism experience chain, for the development of the tourism economy in a way that truly leveraged their respective areas of experience and expertise, the value could be exponential. The main goals of Lori DMO are as follows:
· Discover the preconditions for the tourism development of Lori region;
· Conduct mapping of tourism resources and stakeholders of Lori region;
· Promote the development of tourism resources in Lori region, including the development of new and diverse tourism offers and products;
· Organize trainings to improve the quality of service providers; quality assurance;
· Promote Lori region as a tourist destination in local and international markets;
· Promote public-private partnership in favour of tourism development in Lori.
The main tasks of Lori DMO are the follows:
· Conduct a research of the tourism market, data collection and analysis in Lori;
· Promote the development of various tourism products, packages in Lori, as well as the development of the business sector;
· Organize capacity-building trainings for local tourism service providers for quality control;
· Promote the tourism offer of Lori region through the website, social platforms, printed materials, etc.;
· Institutional development and sector coordination of the tourism industry with a focus on private-public-civil society partnership;
· Communication, Marketing and Promotion to build awareness of Lori’s attractiveness and unique competitive identity, to help the region to compete more effectively for visitors. Creating and maintaining an image of Lori as not only a place to visit, but also a place to live, do business, and invest;
· Tourism product development — Stimulate development of innovative tourism products, that are less seasonally dependent, seek to extend the range of opportunities, encourage business activities and lead to a greater profitability;
· Capacity and knowledge development aiming to enhance qualification and employability of human resources, setting up quality and safety standards).
DMO Lori has participated in several DMOs cooperation projects funded by USAID EGDE and USAID My Armenia projects. In 2021, an Armenian — Georgian DMO exchange visit was organized in Armenia, as well as a Georgian — Armenian DMOs Meeting for Regional Collaboration and Interregional Planning Workshops in Georgia, both located close to the Georgian — Armenian border region. Can you reflect on the discussions of both meetings, and what were the main takeaways?
The meetings between Armenian-Georgian DMOs were organized to understand and highlight the possible areas of cooperation. In order to decide that, workshops have been organized in Armenia and Georgia to represent regions, to find out common interests in tourism, and to choose several themes, that have the potential to be developed. The general themes were the following:
· Pilgrimage-country level
· History-cultural/religious
· Adventure-hiking
· Gastronomy
· Festivals
· Silk Road
As a result, we have come up with three themes to concentrate on during the pilot project to be implemented by six DMOs: Cultural (experiential), Gastronomy, and Adventure. Preliminary activity planning and project idea have been developed as well as a result of workshops.
The main aspects of future cooperation have been identified- market research and targeting, marketing collateral and product development (Content/story, branding, testing, positioning, quality assurance, and capacity building).
Under USAID EDGE funding, DMO Lori on behalf of six Armenian and Georgian DMOs (Shirak, Lori, Vayots Dzor, Syunik, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kakheti DMOs) has implemented the project DMOs Interregional Cooperation: Transnational Tourism Products Development and Promotion. Within the framework of the project, three transnational tourism routes have been developed connecting Georgian and Armenian destinations. Can you tell us a bit more about the process and the routes, and what kind of opportunities has the project created in both countries?
The Project has been implemented in two separate stages concurrently: Product Development and Marketing and Promotion. Four Armenian and two Georgian DMOs have implemented the activities. The project was managed by the lead Lori DMO, Armenia. The Product Development stage has covered the following: a research and feasibility study; theme and itinerary development; and a test tour (FAM trip). The Marketing and Promotion stage has covered the following: choosing the target market; umbrella branding; and marketing the itineraries.
The main output of the project has been developing and promoting transnational theme-based tourism itineraries for Armenia and Georgia and vice-versa, combining the efforts of Armenian and Georgian DMOs. Within the framework of the project, three transnational thematic tours/itineraries have been developed and promoted capitalizing on the rich collection of historical, natural, cultural, and intangible assets of both countries. The Project has promoted tourism development outside big cities in Armenia and Georgia that in the future should enable peripheral regions of Armenia and Georgia to create attractions and tourism products that would not be viable if undertaken alone. The project has created cooperation opportunities and increased capacity for regional DMOs, tour operators, tour guides, local associations and organizations, and the SMEs in respective regions of both countries.
The project has had a great impact on different tourism stakeholders in Georgia and Armenia. First of all, it has been the first cooperation project (of this scale) between Georgian and Armenian DMOs. The project has given an additional chance to create capacity for DMOs, as well as for the other project stakeholders (tour operators, tour guides, local associations and organizations, and SMEs in the tourism sector).
Most importantly, the project has built capacities of DMOs for destination management: with the help and guidance of the experts, asset mapping and evaluation tools and methodology have been elaborated that will be used by all DMOs in the future. The Project has promoted tourism development outside big cities in Armenia and Georgia that in the future should enable peripheral regions of Armenia and Georgia to create attractions and tourism products that would not be viable if undertaken alone. Interregional tours developed will empower tourists from different countries to make positive changes on the regional, and local communities’ level in Armenia and Georgia.
This project also supported the marketing and promotion of these new transnational tourism routes and products in the South Caucasus. Have you identified any potential markets overseas as well, and are you planning any marketing strategies on how to attract international tourists?
There are two possible approaches to defining target user groups:
· To look at what the region has to offer in terms of attractions, then to search for appropriate markets to tap into.
· To assess which particular types of tourism activity are showing strong growth potential, or are under-represented in the region, and then to adapt the products accordingly.
Here, the combination of both approaches is suggested. Starting with a potential list of tourist attractions derived from the assessment of tourism supply, a first estimate can be made of who is likely to be attracted to these features (e.g. using some of the findings of previous phases regarding typical visitor profiles, motivations and interests). This will provide an orientation for the potential market research study. Based on analysis in the previous sections, the following target markets were suggested to be considered as potential source markets to be attracted to the regional touristic offer:
· Domestic markets both in Armenia and Georgia
· Russian Federation
· EU Markets
· Germany
· France
· Scandinavian countries
· Middle Eastern market
The selection was suggested based on the following criteria:
· Proximity
· Accessibility
· Interest towards the Regional offer
There are lucrative potential markets such as China, South Korea, USA, however, we suggest addressing these markets in the second phase of the Project, while at this stage concentrating on the already existing markets for both countries (the “Lowest Hanging fruits”).
In order to ensure the successful operation of the route, project member countries are advised to employ a long-term marketing vision and communication strategy with a focus on the implementation of the activities such as:
· Shared databases to deliver information to consumers and target segments worldwide;
· Regional festival program under the new brand — event-based marketing is crucial for modern tourism marketing and is considered to be the key for developing experiential tourism. Events are an essential marketing tool and will arise interest and attract new visitors. At a transnational level, events have an additional function reinforcing links between the partners;
· Participation in tourism fairs — Participation at fairs aims to ensure the visibility of the cultural route and the destination it covers. Fairs should be selected for potential participation based on market research, in accordance with the Marketing Plan and the available data on (potential) tourist demand.
