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Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, travel agencies team up for new tourism packages

Armenpress 09:59, 19 June, 2017

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. According to tourism officials, there is need to include the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory in tourism and travel packages.

Areg Mikayelyan, director of the Byurakan Observatory and Mekhak Apresyan, first deputy chairman of the state tourism committee told ARMENPRESS joint work of astronomers and tour guides and complex services will contribute to including the observatory in travel packages.

“The observatory doesn’t have contracts with tourism agencies yet, but we are already taking certain steps. We are establishing contacts with companies, we invite them to conferences on scientific tourism and organize visits to numerous locations. We have also proposed to make joint packages”, Mikayelyan said.

Although the observatory chief says they don’t yet have contracts with tourism agencies, Apresyan said the observatory is indeed included in some packages already. According to him, one of the reasons behind not including the observatory in some packages is the absence of complex services.

“We must design the service packages better, at the same time contribute to the representations of them and the observatory in the market and work with travel agencies. We must be able to offer complex services to tourists by also working with hotel businesses of Byurakan”, Apresyan said.

On the other hand, the director of the observatory says the reason that the facility isn’t included in tourism packages is the problem of travel guides. “An ordinary guide cannot present the scientific institution decently, even if he learns the text by-heart. While the astronomer cannot present it as eloquently and beautifully like a guide”, he said.

According to him they haven’t yet reached a conclusion on this issue, nevertheless trainings were held for travel guides last year, and similar trainings are planned for the future as well.

 

Article by Anna Grigoryan



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