Armenia Calling? Or is it?
I noticed a blog over on Cilicia discussing a repatriate’s fears that tourism numbers may well dwindle this year due to fears for safety following the unrest recently, surging prices, and the fact that simply the “novelty” may have worn off. I plan to be in Armenia of course and the work I do there depends greatly on young Armenian diasporans visiting. I have no figures but I am worried. I just thought I’d see what our readers think, a few thoughts:
4 Years ago I paid £268 for a flight from London To Yerevan via Prague. That same flight is now costing £440. Whilst the rest of the world seems to be getting cheaper to visit, Armenia increases.
There is a fear amongst people too regarding what happened in Armenia after the elections, but this often comes from people who are ’slightly’ in tune with the situation, telling those who aren’t in tune at all.
I know I’m generalising here but from my experience few young Armenian diasporans take an active interest in the everyday situation in Armenia, be that political, social, economic, whatever. Those who do, are usually slightly older, and may have read something ’somewhere’ that said ’something’ happened in Armenia, and it was bad.. result :
“Don’t go to Armenia this year, it’s dangerous, people got killed”
Young diasporan says, “what happened?”
“I don’t know exactly, but people died”
“Ok, Greece it is then..”
Bye bye tourism profits, bye bye Armenia’s reputable image…bye bye dream of Armenia being a meeting place for any Armenian, anywhere.
Ok, I’m being extreme, but it’s scary…no?
We are so quick to judge ourselves as Armenians, and even quicker to judge what is our 16 year old republic, without realising that we damage it by doing so.
Sorry if I seem self righteous, I am as guilty of doing that as the next person, I’m just making the observation.
I am skeptical about the Cilicia post. I know many people and groups from Canada who are going to Armenia this summer. The political situation is almost never a consideration. Prices have certainly gone up but the cost of air travel is going up everywhere.
Armenia remains a safe, welcoming, beautiful place to visit in a scary world.
Comment by Richard — 6/5/2008 @ 12:49 pm
Indeed there were political problems in Armenia, and people died. However, when we read such news, we think that the whole place is in chaos and that’s the picture that remains in our memory.
Look at Lebanon, for example, with all it’s own political problems and fights, many Lebanese living and working abroad are coming to Lebanon this summer.
Comment by Raffi — 6/6/2008 @ 8:52 am
The fact is that it is usually and mostly local Armenians who suffer from political unrest - the visitors have little to worry about as long as they are not politicised. As far as visitors to Armenia are concerned there is little difference between how things were last year and how they are this summer.
Comment by Armenian Armenian — 6/8/2008 @ 12:04 pm
I agree that some might be over reacting to the events in Armenia over the past couple months and as a young Diasporan from California I can gladly say that I’ll be visiting Armenia a bit later this year.
That being said, I don’t think it’s fair (by any means) to compare Armenia to Lebanon. It’s true that the Lebanese are still visiting their motherland despite the unrest, but Lebanon is probably the second worst political / war-torn climate in the middle east after Israel-Palestine. I sincerely hope that just one presidential campaign hasn’t set our country to the same level as 20+ years of Syrian occupation and usurpation of power by Hezbollah (for better or worse…not making any judgements on Lebanon here).
Comment by Ara — 6/21/2008 @ 5:31 pm
I agree that some might be over reacting to the events in Armenia over the past couple months and as a young Diasporan from California I can gladly say that I’ll be visiting Armenia a bit later this year.
That being said, I don’t think it’s fair (by any means) to compare Armenia to Lebanon. It’s true that the Lebanese are still visiting their motherland despite the unrest, but Lebanon is probably the second worst political / war-torn climate in the middle east after Israel-Palestine. I sincerely hope that just one presidential campaign hasn’t set our country to the same level as 20+ years of Syrian occupation and usurpation of power by Hezbollah (for better or worse…not making any judgements on Lebanon here).
Comment by Ara — 6/21/2008 @ 5:31 pm