EcoLur – Mass media digest
Tourism and nature protection – conflict or unanimity: this topic was discussed at the press conference held by “Henaran” press club on 17 August. Economy Ministry Economic Development and Tourism Department Head Mekhak Apresyan and “EcoLur” Informational NGO Head Inga Zarafyan took part in this press conference.
Below we present the mass media digest.
Illegal deforestation occurred in Dilijan National Park of Armenia
News.am
YEREVAN. - In Dilijan National Park illegal deforestation increased 1.5 times in relation to previous year, said environment protection activist Inga Zarafyan to a press conference on Wednesday.
According to her, the trees are brought down for construction reasons because tourism and leisure time organization is authorized on the territory of the park.
The head of Tourism Department of Armenian Ministry of Economy Mekhak Apresyan argued that the nature is not given to us to gaze at it from afar.
‘‘The nature and historical monuments must be exploited in accordance with set norms and use the income for the benefit of the same nature and monuments. This is one of the principles for sustainable development,’’ said the official.
'One-sided' tourism is developing in Armenia, ecologists think
ArmInfo
Hot Armenian summer has nevertheless brought not bad "tourist" harvest.
"The preliminary public opinion poll has shown that our expectations from the summer months have justified", - the head of Tourism Department of Armenian Economy Ministry, Mekhak Apresyan, said at today's press-conference. He also added that the strict information will voiced later, but nevertheless tourist trips to
Armenia may grow by 20% this year versus 2010. "It grew by 15% in the first half-year of 2011 versus the same period of 2010", - he said.
Despite such a rosy picture, the head of the non-governmental organization "Ecolur" Inga Zarafyan said that a "one-sided" tourism has been developing in Armenia, as our cultural and historical heritage attracts tourists but mot the nature of the republic. She also added that at present several resorts of
Armenia are in hard situation, including Sevan, where the works on cleaning of the inshore territories are still unsatisfactory.
The situation in Tsakhadzor is also bad, as deforesting was implemented to build resorts. The same happened in Dilijan. "A true contradiction between big money and nature has been noticed in Armenia", - Zarafyan said.
August 18, 2011 at 12:44