Suchergebnisse

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issues of gastronomy and gastronomic tourism. Many people travel just for gastronomic purposes. Food is the essential need for human being, and it may become the main motivating factor for deciding to travel. Gastronomy and its role in the promotion of tourism therefore need to be studied in greater detail. The main purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the role of gastronomy in the development of tourism industry in the country. The methodological tool for the research was a survey, some hypotheses were derived, which were analyzed via Crosstabulations with Pearson Chi-square testing. The investigation of the topic and the results of the analysis state that gastronomy is the part of culture and traditions of a country and the art and culture of cooking. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that many people prefer local cuisine of the destination despite high prices and they evaluate the importance of good cuisine of the destination very high. Also the overall satisfaction with the journey is influenced also by the local cuisine of the destination. The main conclusion is that gastronomy may promote tourism and countries which have gastronomic heritage, should evaluate it and include it in touristic offers by making a gastronomic brand of the region or country. Countries should have a gastronomic tourism development plan. Gastronomic tourism should contribute to accomplishing of sustainable development goals. It may be a driver force for advancing the economy, creating new jobs, increasing the income of population who works in that sphere, etc. In order to meet the needs of tourists, countries should carry out research to understand the consumer motivations and behavior, and based on it to create gastronomic tourism product. Besides, educational organizations should prepare high qualified professionals for the sphere, as the staff competence has a great impact on service level, which in its turn influences customer satisfaction. The results of the research can be useful for the state organs, private sector, also for researchers of tourism sphere.
Keywords: gastronomy, culinary, tourism, culture, tradition, destination.

The article presents a brief history of the founding of the capital Yerevan, some examples of the history and architecture of Armenia, which has a tourist attraction. Yerevan is rich in historical, cultural and scientific monuments, which together with hotels, restaurants, clubs, and various places of entertainment are tourist resources․ The paper is dedicated to urban tourism development issues. The main purpose of the research is to explore urban tourism development opportunities and main challenges in Yerevan, the capital of Republic of Armenia. Investigation of the topic is carried out in the following logical sequence: presentation of historical-cultural monuments, museums of scientific, and cultural interest visited by tourists, the main touristic assets, the main social-economic indicators and tourism infrastructures of Yerevan are discussed, then the main obstacles are analyzed. Yerevan is 2803 years old; it is rich with cultural-historical monuments. Yerevan has all the opportunities for historical, cultural, religious, gastronomic, entertainment, adventure, educational, medical, festival, and MICE tourism development. The methodological tools of the research methods are historical description, historical analysis, statistical methods, also SWOT analysis. The object of the research is Yerevan city and the subject of the research is tourism development issues in Yerevan. The results of the analysis shows that correlation coefficient is high in Yerevan between volume of tourism services and GDP, volume of tourism services and GDP per capita, volume of tourism services and employment. Also, SWOT analysis reveals the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of tourism development in Yerevan. The research theoretically proves and empirically confirms that tourism has a significance role for sustainable development of the city. Based on the main analysis, some recommendations are carried out towards creating sustainable tourism development plans, improving marketing, statistical recording, increasing touristic information in the city, developing infrastructures, investing in more sustainable and smart solutions in city development. The main sustainable solutions should be connected with the transport system, water and waste recycling mechanisms, energy efficiency, construction, increasing green areas, and-so-on. The results of the research can be useful for municipalities for elaborating urban tourism development plans which will lead to sustainable development.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of modelling and forecasting domestic tourism. During Covid-19 many countries tried to develop domestic tourism as an alternative to inbound tourism. In Armenia domestic tourism has grown recently, and in 2020 the decrease was 33% compared to last year. The main purpose of the research is to model and forecast domestic tourism growth in Armenia. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches for solving the problem indicates that many models and different variables are used to forecast tourism development. Methodological tools of the research methods were static and dynamic models, years of research were 2001-2020, quarterly data. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis, which showed that with the static regression analysis a 1% change in GDP will lead to a change of 4.43% in the number of domestic tourists, a 1% change in the CPI will lead to a 14.55% change in the number of domestic tourists. For dynamic modelling we used 12 competing short-term forecasting models. Based on the recursive and rolling forecast simulation results we concluded that out-of-sample forecasts obtained by the small-scale models outperform forecasts obtained by the large-scale models at all forecast horizons. So, the forecasts of the domestic tourists' growth obtained by small-scale models are more appropriate from the practical point of view. Then, in order to check whether the differences in forecasts obtained by the different models are statistically significant we applied Diebold-Mariano test. Based on the results of this test we concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to favor large-scale over small-scale models. This means that the forecast results obtained for domestic tourist growth by using the small scale models would not be statistically different from the results obtained by the large scale models. Based on the analysis, the forecasted values for domestic tourists for the future years were determined. The results of the research can be useful for state bodies, as well as private organizations, and for everybody who wants to model and forecast tourism development.

The article examines the issues of security and protection of the consumer's rights of tourist services. The relevance of the chosen direction of research is due to the rapid increase in the number of trips of citizens, increasing the number of threats (terrorism, civil wars, political conflicts, revolutions, epidemics, natural disasters), which are becoming more destructive and less predictable. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current position of Armenia in international rankings and indices that assess the state of tourism safety and security. The study used methods of descriptive statistics, observation, comparison, and questionnaires. The information base of the study was data from international ratings and indices (Competitiveness Index in Travel and Tourism, Global Peace Index, Global Terrorism Index), as well as the results of a survey on the level of tourist satisfaction with services in Armenia. It is substantiated that the tourism industry helps to increase foreign exchange earnings, intensifies investment activities, influences the creation of new jobs, as well as promotes a positive image of the state in the international arena. The analysis of the rating positions of Armenia in different international reports allows us to say about its safety and security for travelers. The results of the survey indicate that about 87% of tourists consider Armenia a safe country and are satisfied with the quality of tourist services in this country. It is proposed to improve the national migration and visa policy, to promote Armenia as a safe destination for tourists and to develop international cooperation in the field of tourism. The results of the study can be useful for public administration, the private sector, as well as for researchers in the tourism industry.

Keywords: tourism, safety, security, terrorism, crime, Armenia.

The following paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issues of agritourism development issues in rural places. Agritourism development is a good source for rural development, as it will contribute to the investments in villages, increase rural income, emlpoyment, etc. The main purpose of the article is to analyze agritourism development opportunities and issues in Armenian rural places. The analysis was carried out in Armenian two regions: Lori and Tavush. The investigation of the topic and the results of the analysis state that Armenian regions Lori and Tavush have opportunities to develop different types of tourism based on existing resource potential: historical-cultural, eco, agro, gastronomic, adventure, etc. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves the existing problems that hinder agritourism development. For the analysis a survey and observation methods were used. Survey was done among village heads and local population-hosts. The main results of the research are then analyzed via SWOT analysis, based on which some suggestions were made. The main conclusion is that it is necessary to implement various actions for agritourism development, such as: involving investments, improving roads and infrastructures, improving legislation and statistics, organizing trainings for hosts and farmers, improving marketing, etc. The development of agritourism will contribute to the development of the community and the whole country, will increase incomes, spread and preserve culture, increase motivation to live in villages, will form a civil society, as constant contact with tourists, continuous development of business skills and aspirations, will enlarge the worldview of population and will contribute to their understanding of the most important problem of preserving the Armenian culture. The results of the research can be useful for the state and municipal organs, private sector, also for researchers of tourism sphere.

Keywords: agritourism, infrastructures, marketing, rural places, tourism, villages.