“It is a shame that only 30,000 guests visit Gyumri every year. When celebrating some event, is it necessary to celebrate it in a restaurant in Yerevan? We can go to Gyumri instead. One should start with the attitude”, stated Armenian President Armen Sarkissian at a meeting with students. According to him, patriotism is not only the protection of the borders, but also the attitude towards culture and, for example, the heritage of the Shirak region. “We should have an inner tourism of at least a few hundred thousands. Gyumri is history. How can I present it to a tourist if I do not know it myself? One million Armenians visit Georgia every year… let us change our attitude”.
Armen Sarkissian expressed the conviction that the value of 2800-year-old Yerevan is not the modern buildings: “Ten years later they will not be modern. Historical, old buildings are modern. To be modern does not mean to build Dubai out of Yerevan. We should present our 2800-year-old capital. Tourists want to see that, but they cannot”.
Armen Sarkissian noted about another number: 18000 Armenians visit Artsakh every year: “Most of them are perhaps the parents of the soldiers. Stepanakert is a cheaper city than Yerevan, and the people are simpler. Why do not you visit Artsakh? Do we need to visit only for protecting the borders? The roads are well constructed and there is no shortage of hotels”.
Luiza SUKIASYAN
