CITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN DILIJAN VOLUME II - ANNEXES
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Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report Project Number: 45415 June 2014 Armenia: Urban Development in Secondary Cities (Financed by the Urban Environmental Infrastructure Fund under the Urban Financing Partnership Facility) CITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN DILIJAN VOLUME II - ANNEXES Prepared by Fernando de Marcos Yerevan, Armenia; 03-06-2014 For: Internal document for Consultants team
Appendix 1 2 CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 03 June 2014) Currency Unit – Dram (AMD) AMD1.00 = $0.00242 $1.00 = AMD 413,308 ABBREVIATIONS ADB - Asian Development Bank ARDEP - Armenia Regional Development Project ARRM - Armenian Resident Mission, CDP - City development/investment plan CBS - Cost breakdown structure CMS - Consultant Management System COE - Council of Europe CoP Communities of Practice DMC - ADB Developing member country DFID - Department for International Development (UK) LSG - Local Self-Government Bodies MOE - Ministry of Economy MOU - Memorandum of understanding MTA - Ministry of Territorial Administration MTEF - Medium-term expenditure framework MOUD - Ministry of Urban Development NGO - Nongovernment organization NSS - National Statistical Service PATA Policy and Advisory Technical Assistance PPP - Private Public Projects PPTA - Project preparatory technical assistance OSCE - Organization for security and co-operation in Europe UNDP - United Nations Development Programme UOP - Urban Operational Plan USS - Urban Sector Strategy Q - Quarter REDAM - Regional Development in Armenia SWOT - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats TA - technical assistance TACIS - Technical Assistance for the CIS and Mongolia
Appendix 1 3 Staff (according Terms of reference) Fernando de Marco FDM – Senior urban planner and team leader (intl.) Robert Romo RR – Senior urban infrastructure engineer (intl.) James Jessamine JJ – Cultural heritage and tourism specialist (intl.) Mónica Batán Zamora MBZ – Economic development specialist (intl.) François Moulin FM – Urban finance specialist and economist (intl.)) Jörg Fischer JF – Geographic information system specialist and Urban planner (intl.) Armen Keshishyan AK – Urban infrastructure, transport, tourism, and institutional support consultant (national) Samvel Bareyan SB – Urban Finance and Economic Support Consultant (national) Hayk Yeritsian HY – Urban Planner and GIS Support (national) In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.
Appendix 1 4 CONTENTS Page I. APPENDIX 1: ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 7 A. Geographical situation, 7 B. Climate 8 C. Geology, 9 1. Geo-resources/Mining, 9 D. Hydrology 10 E. Soils 10 F. Vegetation 11 G. Fauna 13 H. Natural risks and hazards 13 I. Protected Areas 15 II. APPENDIX 2: TOURIST ASSESSMENT 17 A. Introduction 17 1. Background 17 2. Definitions 18 B. Current Situation 19 1. Attractions 19 a. Dilijan National Park 20 b. Dilijan Museum of Local History and Art Gallery 21 c. Dilijan Mineral Springs 23 d. Theatres 23 e. Dilijan Music Academy and Dilijan Art Academy 23 f. Dilijan Library 23 g. Domestic Architecture 24 2. Accommodation 24 3. Tourism Infrastructure 26 a. Tourist Information 26 b. Tourism Signage 26 c. Transport Issues 27 d. Institutional Framework 27 e. Telecoms and Internet 27 f. Banking Services 28 C. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Tourism Sector 29 1. Key Strengths 29 a. Natural Assets 29 b. Market Assets 29 c. Built Assets 29 d. Cultural Assets 29 2. Key Opportunities 29 3. Key Weaknesses 29 a. Support infrastructure 29 b. Planning 29 c. Product 30 d. Human resources 30 e. Marketing 30 f. Community involvement 30 4. Key Threats 30 a. Natural Assets 30 b. Support Infrastructure 30
Appendix 1 5 c. Human Resources 30 d. Marketing 31 e. Community Development 31 D. Tourism Market Assessment 32 1. National Strategy 32 2. Visitor by Origin and Purpose 34 3. Visitors by Destination and Purpose 38 4. Visitor Expenditure 41 5. Domestic Visitors 43 6. Visitor Arrival Estimates 44 E. . Economic Development 45 1. The role of tourism in economic development 45 2. Economic Impacts 45 3. The role of tourism in investment positioning 46 F. Dilijan Draft Tourism Business Strategy 47 1. Objectives 47 1. Bird Watching Infrastructure 48 G. Potential Tourism Projects 52 1. General 52 2. Sustainable tourism development 52 3. Ecotourism 52 4. Potential Tourism-related Development Projects 53 5. Potential projects 53 a. Area Access 53 b. Local Access 53 c. Extend Tourism Season 54 d. Future Tourism Development 54 e. Streetscape and Urban Design 54 f. Transport Information 55 g. Human Resource Development 55 H. Draft Project Evaluation Matrix 56 1. The Evaluation Process 56 2. Desirable Criteria 56 3. Draft Evaluation Matrix Sheet 56 III. APPENDIX 3: COMMUNICATION MATERIAL 58 A. GIS-Mapping 58 1. General information - maps and graphics 58 2. Detailed strategic information – maps and graphics 58 B. Desk study to provide examples of cities in Europe and Asia with similar development issues, 59 1. The Bilbao Effect 59 2. Glasgow City of Culture 60 3. Tourism Observatory of Avila, Spain. 61 a. Categories of effects: 61 4. Other innovative and ambitious transportation practices in Europe. Project collection 62 C. Organization of a public consultation to share the objectives and main components, and finalize the CDP based on the feedback from all stakeholders. 62 IV. APPENDIX 4: LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 63 A. List of tables 63 B. List of figures 63 C. List of maps 63
Appendix 1 7 I. APPENDIX 1: ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS A. Geographical situation, 1. Situated in the Aghstev valley, Dilijan is covered with dense forests and situated in mountainous landscape. The elevation varies between1100-1510m above the sea-level. The total area within administrative boundaries of the urban community is 4301.5 hectares. The DilijanNational Park, which is a forest area, is located within the community with a total area of 1786.4 hectares. Aghstev River with its numerous tributaries flows across the community. Map 1: Topographical map 2. Embedded in the South Caucasian mountain range, different locations of slopes and severe complicated relief in a relatively small area, create unique diversity of natural conditions. Besides foothill and alpine zones, vertical alteration landscapes are well expressed here. Especially average mountain zone is well expressed at altitudes of 1200- 1800m. 3. Due to mountainous relieves slopes are generally very steep.
Appendix 1 8 Map 2: Slopes B. Climate 4. Dilijan is characterized by temperate warm and humid climatewith relatively cool summers, which is characteristic of a mountainous and forested area.. An average annual temperature fluctuation doesn’t exceed 24°C. In low-mountain section of the community, annual average air temperature is 9.2°C to 10.5°C degrees, in January -0.6ºC to -1.3°C, July +19.9ºC to +21.1ºC.Absolute maximum temperature is +37°C and absolute minimum is - 26°C.. The time period without frosts varies from 200 to 210 days. Snow cover thickness ranges from 5 to 50cm, and on northern slopes sometimes it exceeds 70 cm, making those areas inaccessible during winter time. Average annual precipitations vary from 537mm (foothill zone) to 850-860 mm (highland zone). Maximum rainfall is observed in spring (about 35% of annual norm), and minimum quantity of rainfall in winter (about 12%). Table 1: Dilijan climate J F M A M J J A S O N D Total Max. Temperature ºC 2 2 6 12 17 22 25 24 21 16 9 3 13.3 Min. Temperature -8 -7 -4 1 5 9 11 11 7 3 -1 -5 1.8 Hours of Sunshine (daily) 4 4 5 6 7 9 11 10 9 6 5 3 2403 Monthly rainfall 18 25 38 61 96 87 54 44 37 42 32 20 554
Appendix 1 9 C. Geology, 5. Dilijan is located in young folded mountain chains with very high instability of slopes. Rocks are mainly Eocene sedimentary (marine sedimentary rocks, brown colours on the map), Jurassic volcanogenic (marine volcano sedimentary rocks, blue colours on the map)and Cretaceous (marine sedimentary rocks, limestones, green colours on the map) substrates, alternating with intrusive rocks and quaternary volcanoes (red and black colours) 1.Relief of the territory is complicated, River Aghstev channel and terraces are smooth but slopes aresteep with cut off ravines. Urban and adjacent areas are characterized by high power alluvial-terraces (10-30m) clays, clay-sand, and gravel.Geological structure is complicated and diverse. Hydrogeological conditions and hazardous geological processes (landslides) require that specific building codes applied during construction of residential and large scale commercial buildings. Map 3: Geology 1. Geo-resources/Mining, 6. There are many and various metal and non-metal mines in the territory. From metals, antimony,copper and other non-ferrous and precious elements, iron and manganese mines are met in theterritory, as for non-metallic minerals: limestone, sand, dolomite, macadam, boulder, clay,proliferate, sandstone and other construction materials mines. No metal mines are being exploited. Most important mining resources have been detected near to Margahovit with several gold and silver deposits (Au, Ag). However, it should be noted, that 1 Geological Map of Republic of Armenia Ministry of Nature Protection of Republic of Armenia, Geological Agency, Scale 1:500 000,Author Ed.KharzyaN
Appendix 1 10 these deposits have not been proved as economically feasible and are not exploited by any company. Environmental protection regulations of National park would impose important limitations for any mining industry. D. Hydrology 7. Due to relatively high rainfall the hydrological network is well developed and the area is rich in surface waters. The main drainage course, called Aghstevriver, flow through the city of Dilijan showing a marked mountainous hydrological run-off regime.The main tributaries of Aghstev River are Hovvajur, Shtoghanajur, Haghartsin, Bldan and Getik. Main highway, roads and other construction buildings along Aghstevriver are protected by embankments from flooding events that may occur during heavy rainfall events and snow melt in the end of spring and early summer. 8. There are two major mineral water springs in Dilijan, -calcium-magnesium mineral composition water spring near Fioletovo and sodium mineral water spring in Dilijan. Spring “Bldan” located in N-W of Dilijan is distinguished by its industrial significance and is marked as “Dilijan” mineral water. It is one of the most valuable springs in the Republic and is used for healing purposes. Map 4: Hydrology E. Soils 9. Land cover of Dilijan Community and National park is represented by a mosaic of mainly two types of soils: forest andmountain-meadow. Forest belt is dominated by Brown forest soils, which are remarkable by powerand good differentiation of horizons and coexist with Brown steppe soils. This carbonate-humus soils are developed on maternal rocks rich in carbonates. Mountain-meadow soils are developed in sub-alpine zone. In areas protected
Appendix 1 11 from erosion, these soils developed are up to 40cm thick, powerful humus layer. Alluvial fertile lands arewidespread in relatively large areas ofvalleys, which are mostly turned to cultivated lands. F. Vegetation 10. The forests mainly are of natural origin. The Vegetation of the National Park is dominated by forest. It is mainly dominated by deciduousspecies, such as oriental beech (Fagusorientalis), Georgian oak (Quercusiberica), Q. macranthera,common and oriental hornbeam (Carpinusbetulus, C. orientalis). 11. Stands with predominance of tree species forming main forest are represented either by homogeneous oak, beech and hornbeams trees, or mixed forests with different combinations of thespecies. Forest ecosystems, are showing certain prevalence of Georgian oak (Q. iberica) forests, generally on the southern slopes ofthe middle forest zone and orientalbeech forests on the northern slopes. The upper zone forest (above 1500 meters) is represented byQ. macranthera. Hornbeam occurs mainly in mixed forests. Oriental hombeam reaches up to 1500mabove sea level in the sub-forest of lower forest zone, while Caucasian hombeam spreading all overthe forest zone up to 2000m. National Park forest ecosystems are characterized by Coniferousforests. Pine (Pinussosnovskyi) often forms dense forests and located slopes of the Areguni andPambak ranges in the vicinity of serpentine Dilijan highway. There are lots of pine trees in Dilijanand on nearby slopes. Juniper sparse forests are of great interest in the territory, which spread in thevalley of Getik River, as well as on dry slopes of Ijevan Mountains. 12. Cultivated areas are located in lower areas of the valleys and near to urban settlements. Map 5: Land use
Appendix 1 12 13. Land use classification of Postel 2 Globcover 3 project is shown in the table below 2 POSTEL is a thematic centre associating R&D and services to describe the soil and vegetation from Earth Observation satellite data, at regional and global scales. It is supported by several national public institutions. 3 The objective of the GLOBCOVER / ESA initiative is to develop a service to produce a global land-cover map for the year 2005-2006, using the fine resolution (300 m) mode data acquired over the full year 2005 by the MERIS sensor on-board the ENVISAT satellite.
Appendix 1 13 Table 2: Land use classification Value Label 14 Rainfedcroplands 20 Mosaic cropland (50-70%) / vegetation (grassland/shrubland/forest) (20-50%) 30 Mosaic vegetation (grassland/shrubland/forest) (50-70%) / cropland (20-50%) 40 Closed to open (>15%) broadleaved evergreen or semi-deciduous forest (>5m) 50 Closed (>40%) broadleaved deciduous forest (>5m) 60 Open (15-40%) broadleaved deciduous forest/woodland (>5m) 70 Closed (>40%) needleleaved evergreen forest (>5m) 90 Open (15-40%) needleleaved deciduous or evergreen forest (>5m) 100 Closed to open (>15%) mixed broadleaved and needleleaved forest (>5m) 110 Mosaic forest or shrub-land (50-70%) / grassland (20-50%) 120 Mosaic grassland (50-70%) / forest or shrubland (20-50%) 130 Closed to open (>15%) (broadleaved or needleleaved, evergreen or deciduous) shrubland (15%) herbaceous vegetation (grassland, savannas or lichens/mosses) 150 Sparse (15%) grassland or woody vegetation on regularly flooded or waterlogged soil - Fresh, brackish or saline water 190 Artificial surfaces and associated areas (Urban areas >50%) 200 Bareareas 210 Waterbodies 220 Permanentsnow and ice 230 No data (burnt areas, clouds,…) 4 Source: PostelGlobcover, http://postel.obs-mip.fr/?-Biogeophysical-Products,52- G. Fauna 14. There is a wide variety of rich fauna around Dilijan and the National Park. There a lot of Invertebrates species, mussels and arthropods, and vertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including several species included within the Red list of International Unionfor Conservation of Nature. H. Natural risks and hazards 15. The area suffers numerous landslides in the case of saturation of water in the ground surface. During the winter season, the ground turns into mud due to abundant rains, which erode the soils and increase the risks of landslides. This geological instability of numerous areas rise very important problems for road and railway infrastructure. Several urban districts of Dilijan are also affected by landslides endangering urban infrastructure and residence areas. 4 The Version 2 of bi-monthly composites of GLOBCOVER surface reflactances at 300m resolution is available for downloading: 10 mossaïcs cover the period from May 2005 to April 2006 (example below).
Appendix 1 14 Map 6: Natural hazards 16. There are active landslide processes developed on the slopes. Slopes with western orientation, in some places are distinguished by denudation of maternal rocks. Orography major units formed by Aghstev and its tributaries created deep erosion lines and valleys. They are narrow, mostly V-shaped, extending in some places and create small inter- mountain concavities. Tectonic movements have great impact on valleys morphology. Structural and accumulative heights are preserved in river valleys. Slope processes are quite active in the territory of Dilijan community. There are many active landslides. Major landslides are Dilijan, Hagharstin, Parz Lake, Fioletovo and etc. Among slope processes, defluxion (in forest areas), stone fall and other phenomena are widespread. 17. Armenia is situated in a seismically active zone. Earthquake magnitudes reach M= 7.1 (according to historical and paleoseismic estimations). Since the hazard has been considerably underestimated, the seismic resistance of buildings and structures is well below the level required for this high magnitude of seismic risk. The absence of state policy in the field of seismic risk reduction led to the dis aster in Spitak in 1988. In 1999, the Government of Armenia adopted the strategy of seismic risk reduction. Several institutions under the coordination of the National Survey for Seismic Protection (NSSP) developed a uniquely structured program. 5 Seismic Hazard Assessment (SHA) involves long-term and current seismic hazard assessment. Current seismic hazard assessment is essential for population seismic safety and elaborating counter-measures by the central and local governments. 18. Flooding events are frequent to major river beds. Aghstev riverbanks frequently suffer from flooding events. In urban areas of Dilijan Aghstev river course is canalized to prevent dangerous flooding events produced by heavy rainfall events and snow melt in the 5 Mikayel Melkumyan (Seismic Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategy in Armenia
Appendix 1 15 end of spring and early summer. During recent floods 6Aghstev river flooded arable land, orchards and greenhousescausing important economic a losses I. Protected Areas 19. “Dilijan” National Park, as a State Nature Reserve, was established on the basis of the decisionN341 of the Board of Ministers of Armenian SSR in 1958. The aim of the Dilijan State Reserveestablishment was to provide preservation of oak and beech (mezophile) forests, a relic species ofthird era, as berry-yew and Rhododendron Caucasian. The state reserve became known as Dilijan National Park later in 2002. The park contains some forty varieties of tree species, mainly oak, beech, maple and elm in forests which cover 94% of the park territory.The National Park, which now occupies around 24,000 hectares, is well known for its forest landscapes, rich biodiversity, medicinal mineral water springs, natural and cultural monuments. In addition to the National Park the forests of Dilijan cover an area of more than 34000 hectares. Rich in its fauna species to be found in the park include brown bear, wolf, marten, otter, lynx, sylvan cat, Persian squirrel, sylvan dormouse, hedgehog, chamois, European red deer, wild hog, pheasant, quail, partridge, Caspian turkey, culver, bald eagle, bearded vulture, pygmy eagles, golden eagle, hawk and others. 20. The National Park, which is administered by the Ministry of Nature Protection, is divided into three zones; protected area, recreational zone and economic zone. All activities with the park must conform to a set of criteria so as not to impact on the ecosystem’s equilibrium or put at risk the cultural or scientific assets of the protected area. Human activities are generally confined to scientific research and tourism within the Protected Zone. In the other zones, the recreational and economic zones, activities must be in full conformity with park protection. 21. The park, which is widely used for walking, trekking and cycling, has its own information and interpretative centre and a small number of trails. The most developed of the trails is the Jukhtavank to Shamakhyan Nature Trail which extends around some 10 kilometres to the west of Dilijan. This trail is relatively well developed, is signposted, and contains a number of thematic areas for wildlife and flora as well as three picnic spots. The majority of the park area is not as well presented and there is considerable scope for developing additional trails and improving access from Dilijan and other points. Additionally the tourism offer of the attraction could be diversified by the development of additional activities, particularly in the area of eco and adventure tourism by exploiting the river and mountain area. 22. However, spatial distribution of 5 settlementslocated in administrative boundaries of National Park and town Dilijan, as well as agricultural land use patterns, have not been taken into account while implementingorganization of the state reserve. Subsequently, active economic exploitation appeared in the territory ofthe reserve, violating the protection regulations. 6 3 3 th th Discharges of 21.4 m /s and 26,7 m /s have been registered on April 24 , 29 ,and May 3th. to 15th of 2006 respectively. Probability of discharge of these floods was estimated to be two years according Geocom Tld..
Appendix 1 16 Map 7: Protected areas
Appendix 2 17 II. APPENDIX 2: TOURIST ASSESSMENT A. Introduction 1. Background 23. Lying some kilometres to the northeast of Yerevan Dilijan is reputed to be one of the most attractive towns in Armenia by virtue of its natural setting in a heavily forested mountain valley and its distinctive ‘alpine’ architectural vocabulary, indeed Dilijan is often referred to as ‘Little Switzerland’. Dilijan and Tavush Marz are one of the major tourism destinations in Armenia. Focussing primarily on serving the domestic market this forested resort, which is surrounded by the Dilijan National Park, has been home to many Armenian artists, composers and filmmakers. As a resort Dilijan reached its zenith during the Soviet era when it functioned largely as a health spa which offered its visitors pure mountain air. Figure 1. Provinces of Armenia 24. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union Dilijan in common with other health resorts has had to adjust from a planned to a market economy and the loss of union and enterprise funded tourists to the resort. As a result of this, and a series of economic crisis that Armenia has undergone tourist numbers were greatly reduced. Like many Armenian towns it’s population is steadily declining from the 23,700 reported in the 1989 census, to 14,846 in the 2001 census, with an estimated population of 15,600 by 2009.Today the mayor’s office reports that the population has fallen further to around 8,000, a fall of 66% since 1989. This population fall has been principally driven by a massive reduction in economic activity in the town leading to outward migration. 25. Recent initiatives by both the Government andprivate foundations aim to redress the town’s decline through investments in both the tourism and education sectors. The Tufenkian Foundation for Cultural Heritage has financed and developed the ‘Old Dilijan
Appendix 2 18 Complex in the centre of town, integrated tourist attraction. Executed in the local architectural vocabulary the complex contains a hotel, restaurant, shops, craft workshops and an information centre. On the educational front the RVVZ Foundation has sponsored the development of the Dilijan United World College an international boarding school on an 88 hectare site with up to 650 students opening in 2014. A second key educational development is the proposed cooperation between the American University of Armenia and the Central Bank of Armenia at the bank’s new Dilijan Training Centre. This initiative will create a tertiary establishment offering both undergraduate and post graduate courses in economics and business studies. 26. These ongoing investments will further strengthen Dilijan ‘s position as a tourism centre and diversify economic activity into the educational sectorthis has led to a general appreciate of the town’s future role as a ‘tourism and educational hub’. 27. In spite of the ongoing flagship developments Dilijan is confronted by a number of issues which may impede its continuing development. These issues, which are the focus of the current programme include; the absence of an integrated planning framework, weak institutional structures and coordination, insufficient municipal financial resources, and substandard infrastructure. This report examines the development potential for the tourism and cultural sector and the key issues to be resolved. Finally a number of potential interventions are identified for financing by the Asian Development Bank within the context of the current programme. 2. Definitions 28. The definitions of terms used28. in this report are United Nations World Tourism Organisation and are based on Standard International Classification of Tourism Activities (SICTA) and conform to the third revision of the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC). These are as described below: 29. Tourism: Tourism is defined as the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. The use of this broad concept makes it possible to identify tourism between countries as well as tourism within a country. "Tourism" refers to all activities of visitors, including both "tourists (overnight visitors)" and "same-day visitors". 30. Arrivals:Arrivals cannot be assumed to be equal to the number of persons travelling. When a person visits the same country several times a year, an equal number of arrivals is recorded. Likewise, if a person visits several countries during the course of a single trip, his/her arrival in each country is recorded separately. Arrivals associated with inbound tourism correspond to those arrivals by international visitors within the economic territory of the country of reference and include both tourists and same-day non-resident visitors. 31. Overnight stays and length of stay: Figures on overnight stays refer to the number of nights spent by non-resident tourists in hotels and similar establishments, or in all types of 2.4 Infrastructure 32. Expenditure in the country of origin: Tourism expenditure data are obtained from the item "travel receipts" of the balance of payments of each country and correspond to the "expenditure of non-resident visitors (tourists and same-day visitors)" within the economic activity of the country of reference. 33. Domestic Tourism: Overnight stays can also be referred to as the number of nights by resident tourists in hotels and similar establishments, or in all types of tourism accommodation establishments.
Appendix 2 19 B. Current Situation 34. Dilijan and the surrounding area is one of the leading tourist destinations in Armenia outside of the capital, Yerevan. Anecdotal evidence suggests that tourism is one of the leading, if not the leading, source of economic activity in the city. Set amid the Dilijan National Park in a dramatic and attractive mountain setting the town and the surrounding region have a wide range of existing tourism attractions and an extensive and varied range of accommodation stock. 35. This section broadly examines the nature and range of existing tourist attractions as well as available accommodation in the city. Tourism infrastructure, and in particular transport –related infrastructure, is examined and a range of key issues impacting on the development of the tourism and cultural sector in the city are identified. Finally a SWOT analysis setting out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the present tourism offer has been prepared. 1. Attractions 36. Dilijan and the surrounding area have a wide variety of tourist attractions including historic sites, cultural attractions, scenic areas, wildlife and health spas. The principle attractions have been broadly assessed and are set out in this section. Figure 2. Attractions, Regional Context 23. Within the study area land use and tourism resources have been fully mapped on the project GIS data base for reference, an illustration of central area mapping is set out below in Figure 2.2.
Appendix 2 20 Figure 3. Land Use and Tourism Inventory Mapping a. Dilijan National Park 37. Perhaps more than any other attraction the Dilijan National Park, or the Dilijan Reserve, does more to set the context and backdrop to the tourism sector in the city.To safeguard the natural environment around Dilijan the state forest reserve was founded in 1958 to become known as Dilijan National Park later in 2002. The park contains some forty varieties of tree species, mainly oak, beech, maple and elm in forests which cover 94% of the park territory.The National Park, which now occupies around 24,000 hectares, is well known for its forest landscapes, rich biodiversity, medicinal mineral water springs, natural and cultural monuments. In addition to the National Park the forests of Dilijan cover an area of more than 34000 hectares. Rich in its fauna species to be found in the park include brown bear, wolf, marten, otter, lynx, sylvan cat, Persian squirrel, sylvan dormouse, hedgehog, chamois, European red deer, wild hog, pheasant, quail, partridge, Caspian turkey, culver, bald eagle, bearded vulture, pygmy eagles, golden eagle, hawk and others. 38. The National Park, which is administered by the Ministry of Nature Protection, is divided into three zones; protected area, recreational zone and economic zone. All activities with the park must conform to a set of criteria so as not to impact on the ecosystem’s equilibrium or put at risk the cultural or scientific assets of the protected area. Human activities are generally confined to scientific research and tourism within the Protected Zone. In the other zones, the recreational and economic zones, activities must be in full conformity with park protection. 39. The park, which is widely used for walking, trekking and cycling, has its own information and interpretative centre and a small number of trails. The most developed of the trails is the Jukhtavank to Shamakhyan Nature Trail which extends around some 10 kilometres to the west of Dilijan. This trail is relatively well developed, is signposted, and contains a number of thematic areas for wildlife and flora as well as three picnic spots. The majority of the park area is not as well presented and there is considerable scope for developing additional trails and improving access from Dilijan and other points. Additionally the tourism offer of the attraction could be diversified by the development of additional activities, particularly in the area of eco and adventure tourism by exploiting the river and mountain area.
Appendix 2 21 b. Dilijan Museum of Local History and Art Gallery 40. Dilijan has an exceptionally rich history and cultural heritage which is reflected in the Dilijan Museum of Local History and Art Gallery which was founded in 1950 by a local school teacher. The gallery houses a collection of classic and modern Armenian art as well as a fine collection of international paintings and sculpture. In addition there is a collection Armenian carpets, jewellery and objects. In the historic collection there are numerous artefacts from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age recovered from excavations of prehistoric cemeteries at Golovino and Paganini near Dilijan. These include a number of relics, including armour, weapons and jewellery. Many of the finest artefacts recovered from excavations were transferred to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg where they can still be viewed. Figure 4: Dilijan Museum 41. The Museum and Gallery, which are substantial for what is a small town,are generally in an excellent condition and easily accessible on Myasnikyan Street above the Aghstev River in the centre of the town.. The exhibits well displayed with interpretative materials in Armenian, Russian and English. 42. Haghartsin Monastery:Haghartsin Monastery is a 13th century complex which contains three separate churches as well as a refectory and was built by the architect Minas around 1248. The most dominant element of the ensemble is the Church of Saint St. Astvatsatsin. The church provided the focal point of the monastery in the form of a sixteen- faced domewhich is carried on an arched tower. Other major elements of the complex include the church of Saint Gregory, the Church of Saint Stepanos and the refectory building. 43. The Haghartsin Monastery, like that of Goshavank, is located within the Dilijan National Park, which affords it a high degree of protection. Exceptionally Haghartsin which is a thirty minute drive from Dilijan is one of the most popular and visited monasteries in Armenia. The monastery, which has a resident priest, is currently undergoing restoration funded by Sultan of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. There has been some discussion regarding the inclusion of this site in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Appendix 2 22 44. As yet Haghartsin has not been included in the ‘tentative’ UNESCO list and will have to compete with a number of other candidate sites in Armenia. The country currently has three sites on the UNESCO list; the Cathedral Church of Echmiadzin at Zvartnots, the Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin and the Monastery of Tatev.. Haghpat and Sanahin are in northern Lori Marz close to Alaverdi which Tatev is in the southern Syunik Marz. The notion of ‘monastery tours’ has long been identified and is already incorporated into a number of programmes including those of USAid and the World Bank Figure 5: Haghartsin Monastery 45. In addition, four sites have been assessed and placed on the tentative schedule for full listing. They are; the site of the City of Dvin, the Basilica of Yeveruk, the Monastery of Noravank and the Monastery of Tatev. It is worth noting that a number of these sites are encountering difficulty in the listing process due to the nature of renovations works they have carried out and that World Heritage Site listing is a rigorous and lengthy assessment process. 46. Goshavank Monastery: The monastery of Goshavank, which dates from the twelfth century, is located in the village of Gosh around 15 kilometres to the east of Dilijan on the Getuk River. The monastery, which is no longer in use, is one of the few such buildings in the country which entry is not free. The complex consists of a number of buildings comprising; the churches of Saint Astavatsatsin, Saint Gregory, and Grigor Lusavorich as well as an imposing bell tower and book depository. The book depository is considered the best among the constructions of the same type in Armenia 47. Of particular note are the khachkars, or carved stone crosses, many of which are esteemed to be the best examples in the world. The most famous of the khachkars is the Aseghnagorts, or lacework, khachkar which is exhibited in the main doorway of the complex.
Appendix 2 23 Like the Haghartsin Monastery there has been some discussion regarding the possible inclusion of this monastery on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 48. Jukhtavank Monastery: This monastery complex, which translates as ‘two churches’, is located three kilometres to the west of Dilijan on a tributary of the Aghstev River and close to Dilijan mineral springs. The complex dates from the 12th century and consists of two churches as well as a small churchyard. This is a small and not particularly impressive site which has less of the drama of the better known monasteries in the area. Access to the site is difficult as the motorable path has been washed away.Roadway is mentioned as a possible ADB intervention. 49. Matosavank Monastery - Matosavank is situated in front of JukhtakVank, at a distance of 3.5 km to the West from Dilijan, at the right bank of the Bldan river. The monastery complex consists of 3 low constructions. There is a medieval churchyard to the south-east of the church. The Blessed Virgin church has been built in 1205. c. Dilijan Mineral Springs 50. Dilijan is known for its curative mineral waters which have attracted visitors to its spas since the late nineteenth century. Today the waters are best known in the form of bottled mineral water produced by the Dilijan Water Company at the town’s mineral springs. The “Dilijan" mineral water factory was established in 1947 and was one of the first and best known companies producing mineral water not only in Armenia, but also in the former USSR. The factory produces over 8 million bottles of medicinal mineral water a year from the spring source. d. Theatres 51. The theatre in Dilijan dates from the end of the 19th century whenamateur dramatic groups were organised. These clubs were supplemented bt the construction of the Rotonda this open air theatre became a centre for intellectuals throughout the Caucuses from 1900 until 1936 when it ceased to function. In 1932 the State Theatre was founded in Dilijan and the city still maintains a strong position in the dramatic arts. Although cultural activities have fallen away in recent years the city government has identified the renovation of Dilijan Culture Palace as one of its development priorities. e. Dilijan Music Academy and Dilijan Art Academy 52. The musical school which was founded in 1946 plays an important role in cultural life of the town, although its total enrolment is only around 40 students. The Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts has a substantial branch campus in Dilijan offering a wide range of diploma courses and also organising summer school activities. f. Dilijan Library 53. The first library in Dilijan was opened in 1908 and was at the end of the 19th something of a centre for cultural activity in Dilijan. The library which was subsequently named after its founder, Aghayan, is still believed to be functioning, but with a limited role in the cultural life of the city.
Appendix 2 24 g. Domestic Architecture 54. Dilijan has a number of fine examples of domestic architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sadly however many fine examples of these timber buildings, as well as the Rotunda, have been lost to landslides. The distinction ‘Dilijan Style’ which developed in the town is believed to be a fusion of Russian and Caucasian architectural elements typified by tiles and gabled roofs, oriole windows and whitewashed timber walling. A number of these fine buildings still remain giving the city much of its unique character. 55. Unfortunately many more recent construction, amongst which is the new Central Bank complex do not respect the architectural heritage of the city nor its National Park setting. Many of these new constructions are perhaps more suited to the faceless environment of some anonymous conurbation. If the character of Dilijan is to be maintained, and enhanced, then urgent steps require to be taken to develop and enforce a set of architectural design guidelines for the city. Figure 6. Dilijan Architecture 2. Accommodation 56. There is no formal registration process in Armenia to register tourist accommodation and estimated of the total volume of accommodation vary wildly. Most estimates for the total number of available bedspaces are around 10,000, with around 90% of bed spaces being located in Yerevan. Average room occupancy rates through the year are reported to be as low as 20% and demand shows evidence of extreme seasonality, with a very short summer peak season. While visitor numbers for international arrivals are a relatively healthy 843,000 a very high proportion of visitors are from the Armenian Diaspora and lodge with friends and relatives and do not generate high levels of demand for hotel accommodation. 57. Locally estimates of available bed spaces also vary wildly. In the case of Dilijan the local government has reported that there are up to 3,000 bed spaces available in the town of Dilijan alone. This would account for around 30% of national bed stock in a town of 8,000 inhabitants, clearly a highly questionable statistics. This high estimate may, in part, be
Appendix 2 25 accounted for by the practice in established resorts such as Dilijan and Jermuk of local homeowner renting out rooms informally over the peak tourist summer period. Bus stop shelters and the like in both destinations bear evidence of advertising for such low cost informal accommodation. 58. Visual surveys of the town, backed up by internet research have revealed a more limited supply of formal accommodation, which is set out in the table below. For statistical purposes we have calculated available bed spaces as being 2 per room, a generally accepted planning norm. Table 3. Capacity of accommodation establishments Name Category Rooms Bed Spaces Best Western Dilijan Hotel 50 100 Tufenkian Old Dilijan Complex Hotel 12 24 Hotel Dilijan Resort Hotel 71 142 Impuls Health Resort Hotel 46 92 Casanova Inn Hotel 11 22 Dil Hill Hotel Hotel 19 38 Haghartsin Hotel Restaurant Hotel 24* 48 Entertainment Complex Dilijan Green Park Hotel 9 18 Dili Villa Guesthouse B&B 7 14 Toon Armeni B&B 10* 20 Yeva Santrossyan B&B 4 8 Sotia B&B 1 2 RoubenyatsTun B&B 5 10 Nunufar Ghazoumyan B&B 3 6 Nina’s B&B 5 10 Magnit Guesthouse B&B 12 27 Heghineh Alikkhanyan B&B 4 8 Hasmit Barseghyan B&B 3 6 Frangulyan Guest House B&B 2 4 Benik Babiyan B&B 4 8 Seno Guest House B&B 4 8 Ashot Margaryan B&B 4 8 Arus Davatyan B&B 2 4 Artsive B&B 5 10 Armans B&B 6 12 Anahit Hovespyan B&B 3 6 Ararat Guesthouse B&B 4 8 Getap Inn B&B 15* 30 Red Hotel B&B 7 14 DghyakPansion B&B 21 42 TOTAL 369 738 59. From research some 30 accommodation establishment have been identified with a total of 369 rooms, 738 bed spaces. The website of the Dilijan National Park estimates that the average daily tourist frequentation of the resort area is 500 guests, which is within the room/bed capacity identified. With the proposed establishment of a new NTO there is a clear need to formalise the registration of tourism accommodation in order to develop a clear understanding of the supply side situation. *estimated
Appendix 2 26 3. Tourism Infrastructure a. Tourist Information 60. Dilijan is fortunate in that it possesses two tourist information centres, which are located in the Old Dilijan Complex with a second opposite the Central Bus Station. It should be noted that even the capital, Yerevan, does not have a formal tourist information centre. The Dilijan Bus Station centre, which was developed with the assistance of USAid in collaboration with the mayor’s office and the Dilijan Tourist Association (DTA) is a purposed built facility is open every day, with the exception of Mondays between 10h and 19h. The centre, which also rents bicycles, has a full range of visitor information and booking services and should serve as a model for similar destinations. Figure 7. Old Dilijan Tourist Information Centre b. Tourism Signage 61. Tourism signs are an essential component of the visitors experience and are, more often than not, the visitors initial introduction to a destination or product. Commencing at the airport or land border tourism signage is a fundamental element in providing a welcome to visitors. Throughout the city area, and in common with all other areas in the region visited, directional road signage is a problem. Local road signs are inconsistent in design and appearance, often poorly sited and frequently compete for attention with a miasma of advertising billboards. This confusing situation is often exacerbated at night when poor levels of illumination render many signs all but invisible until the driver is almost upon them. 62. Directional signage on the main highways, although more consistent in design and appearance, fares little better in our evaluation. Signage is often confusing and fails to direct the visitor to attractions in the most direct and logical route.
Appendix 2 27 63. Consideration should be given to the implantation of a comprehensive signage programme for the area, covering both directional and information signage designed and installed to international standards. In considering signage and information systems attention should also be paid to new and fast emerging technologies and their ability to provide detailed and real-time information through satellite navigation systems, smart phone apps and QR coding panels. Such new media is fast establishing a role for itself as an effective and relatively low cost option for information provision, particularly in less frequented areas where traditional physical signage may not be cost effective as a communication medium. c. Transport Issues 64. Road capacityto the area generally seems to be adequate but should be carefully evaluated following future visitor arrival surveys and the preparation of statistically accurate demand projections 65. Within the area a number of roads are in particularly poor condition, unpaved and poorly maintained the access road to Parz Lake in particular is in need of urgent action to ensure access to the lake as well as a number of existing resort hotels. Pedestrian footpaths and cycles paths are generally of a low quality and underprovided. Footpaths are often in poor condition or absent while there are no segregate cycles lanes. Moreover connectivity to the surrounding countryside is limited. 66. Parking, particularly in central areas and around the National Park, is an issue particularly during the summer peak period. Careful consideration should be given to the provision of adequate managed parking space for private vehicles and tour buses, as well as resolving wider traffic management conflicts in congested locations. d. Institutional Framework 67. At a national level Armenia has been greatly hampered by the absence of a National Tourism Organisation (NTO) to promote, regulate and coordinate the development of the sector. This has a particular impact on the planning and marketing of the industry, which is recognised by the Government to be a key potential growth sector. Detailed proposals for the establishment of an NTO are now being considered by the Government of Armenia. When established the NTO should furnish much needed tourism statistics to enable the logical planning and administration of the sector at a national level. 68. At local level there is generally a very poor understanding of the nature of the tourism industry and a deficit of the requisite skills to plan and manage the development of the sector. Dilijan is the exception to this situation as it has received international technical support which led to the establishment of the Dilijan Tourism Associate, chaired by the mayor and the establishment of the Tourism Information Centre. Much work however still needs to be done, statistic database for the sector is very weak and detailed surveys require to be executed in order to determine visitor numbers, mode of transport, origins and motivations as well as completing a definitive accommodation inventory. e. Telecoms and Internet 69. There is believed to be mobile phone coverage for most of the area although we are informed that this is generally limited to a single network, potentially leaving many visitors without coverage. The provision of mobile phone services and, increasingly, of internet access has become essential to the modern traveller who is coming to increasingly rely on
Appendix 2 28 mobile and wireless-based information services. This is particularly true of relatively remote areas such as Tatev where in activities such as trekking it is the sole way of communicating with the emergency and information services. The availability of 3G and 4G mobile telephone networks covering the area will facilitate visitor internet access and open up the possibility of designing area specific smartphone apps which could provide more time sensitive visitor information as well as mapping and interpretative information throughout the area. 70. A detailed assessment of mobile and internet coverage for the area should be prepared and, in cooperation with service providers, an outline programme development for the upgrading of telecoms infrastructure throughout the study area prepared. In installing new networks to the area efforts should be made to minimize the environmental impact of transmitter masts. f. Banking Services 71. The availability of modern banking services and in particular credit card or bank debit ATM and charging facilities have become essential to the modern traveler. The lack of credit card payment facilities and an international ATM withdrawal facility is a major impediment to tourism development. The banking sector should therefore be encouraged to expedite the installation of ATM machines in all four identified tourism service centres; this service should be extended to major hotels in order to facilitate hotel bill settlement. Smaller hotels as well as bed and breakfast establishments may be able to receive payments indirectly through a central booking portal doing away with the present situation where visitor are required to travel with relatively large sums in cash in order to expedite the payment of accommodation bills.
Appendix 2 29 C. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Tourism Sector 72. This section summarises the key strengths of the tourism offer in Dilijan as well as identifying its principle deficiencies, or weaknesses in a SWOT analysis. This analysis also identifies opportunities that the tourism sector could exploit and the principle threats to the further development of the sector. 1. Key Strengths a. Natural Assets i. Iconic Mountain Scenery ii. National Park iii. Birdlife and Wildlife iv. Clean Mountain Air and Water b. Market Assets i. Strong Established Resort Destination ii. Strong Historic and Cultural Associations c. Built Assets i. Existing Accommodation Stock ii. Distinctive Local Architectural Style d. Cultural Assets i. Strong Cultural Base and Associations ii. Good Local Museum and Theatre iii. Strong Local Handicrafts 2. Key Opportunities i. Development of the Business and MICE segments through the educational sector ii. Development of Ecotourism products iii. Diversification of products in to areas such as adventure tourism and niche markets such as bird watching, speleology, and fishing. iv. Reinforcement of the retail offer 3. Key Weaknesses a. Support infrastructure i. Poor quality and design of many hotels ii. Poor signage around most tourist attractions iii. Poor roads and public transport services, in particular to tourism sites iv. Poor pedestrian access and street landscape v. Weak internet access and mobile phone connectivity b. Planning i. Shortage of tourism expertise among local government planners
Appendix 2 30 ii. Lack of current city physical master plan iii. Poor protection for historic buildings and cultural heritage sites c. Product i. Narrow product diversity, over-reliance on Scenic aspects ii. Limited tourism activities and infrastructure in National Park iii. Poor interpretation of cultural heritage product iv. Shortage of major events v. Poor range of quality craft and souvenir products d. Human resources i. Poor tourism skills, especially at hotel management level ii. Shortage of tourism management and marketing skills in government agencies iii. Shortage of quality tourism training capacity e. Marketing i. Lack of sustained destination marketing in key source markets ii. Lack of National Tourism Organisation (NTO) to coordinate marketing activities iii. Lack of niche marketing capacity (conferences, birding etc.) iv. Overdependence on the key Diaspora segment v. Very weak brand image in key international markets vi. Shortage of up-to-date online information, booking and payment facilities vii. Lack of visitor information provision viii. High prices - uncompetitive international airfares, high regional airfares f. Community involvement i. Limited awareness of tourism benefits among communities ii. Prohibitive financing costs for SME start ups 4. Key Threats 73. The following items are identified as being key threats to the tourism sector in Dilijan a. Natural Assets i. Degradation of the natural setting of the resort area by unplanned, uncontrolled or inappropriate development my negatively impact upon the appeal of the destination b. Support Infrastructure i. Further development and increasing visitor arrivals will place an increasing strain on already under–resourced municipal services and infrastructure including road access, parking provision, waste collection, sewage treatment and water supply c. Human Resources i. Further development of the tourism sector will place increasing demands on the limited local labour pool ii. Poor HRD will impact upon the quality of both product and service diminishing the attractiveness of the destination.
Appendix 2 31 d. Marketing i. Competing Destinations may emerge and draw custom away from Dilijan e. Community Development i. The emergence of poorly trained and resourced community-based tourism development initiatives may discourage subsequent development as well as bringing to the market substandard products that do not meet visitor expectations.
Appendix 2 32 D. Tourism Market Assessment 1. National Strategy 74. The development of the tourism sector is one of the Armenian governments priority development areas and currently a number of on-going studies by a range of international agencies is assisting is this development process. At the outset it would be fair to state that although the sector has considerable potential it is largely underdeveloped at the moment and requires both institutional reform and increased levels of investment to realise its full potential. 75. The ArmenianTourism Strategy for Armenia 2007– 2030 which was prepared for the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Government of Armenia, identified tourism as a pillar of the economy and set the country ambitious targets for tourism development, namely: ii. Armenia will welcome 3 million international tourists. iii. Tourism arrivals growth will have been sustained at an annual CAGR of 9%. iv. Armenia will increase its market share of European arrivals. v. International visitors will contribute an estimated US$3 billion to the Armenian economy. vi. Tourism will contribute 12% of the Gross Domestic Product and represent 23.8% of Merchandise Exports. vii. 22,300 people will be directly employed by the tourism industry – 2.0% of the total workforce. viii. Government tourism promotional spending - US$ 49 million. ix. Armenia will rank within the top 50 countries in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index. 76. In 2012 Armenia received 843,000 international visitors. Although some progress has been made the tourism sector in Armenia still faces a number of significant challenges and has yet to take off as a major international destination. A report commissioned by EDMC is 2012 examine the development of the tourism sector in the country and examined the evolution of tourist arrivals as well as forecast future growth. The report found that while was strong the trend line as shown in Figure 3.1 was lagging slightly behind the forecast growth rate 77. All the predictions made in 2008 on the growth of tourism inflows to Armenia have been followed thoroughly, as the following graph depicts.
Appendix 2 33 Figure 8: Foreseen evolution of total tourism inflows to Armenia. 2010-2020 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2010 2012* 2015 2020 Min Max Reality Source: EDMC Report, NSS and Armenian tourism sector 2009-2020 development strategy 78. These 2007-08 predictions showed that Armenia would be receiving between 1.4 and 1.6 million international arrivals in 2020. Given that conditions have only improved for Armenia over the last years, it seems wise to assume that even the most optimistic predictions in terms of arrivals for 2020 will be met (around 1.5M international visitors). 79. The great challenge comes when looking at the composition of these foreseen inflows. Thus, out of these numbers, the proportion of leisure travellers was set to record a significant growth, from around 15% in 2010 to almost 40% in 2020 (around 600,000 leisure travellers by that year), while Diaspora would decrease from over 50% to around 30-35%. The forecast segmentation of tourist arrivals up to 2020 is set out below in Table 3.2. Table 4: Forecast arrivals segmentation 2010 - 2020 2010 2015 2020 Min Max Min Max Min Max TOTAL 600 700 900 1.100 1.400 1.600 Leisure 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Diaspora 50% 55% 40% 45% 30% 35% Business 20% 25% 20% 20% 20% 25% Subtotal 85% 100% 85% 95% 85% 100% Others 15% 0% 15% 5% 15% 0% Source: Armenian tourism sector 2009-2020 development strategy 80. While forecasts for tourist arrivals have been prepared these we based on patchy and often inconsistent statistical returns from point of entry visa application forms. The recent Visitors Arrivals sample survey, which is still on-going, provides the only more detailed and statistically reliable overview of the current pattern of tourism in Armenia.
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