From March 29 to April 1, the Working Group of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) held a session in Valencia. The session was part of the Silk Road Programme.

Among the participants was First Vice-Chairperson of the State Tourism Committee at the RA Ministry of Economic Development and Investments Mekhak Apresyan.

According to the RA Ministry of Economic Development and Investments, new and already existing programs for the development of stable tourism through the Silk Road Programme were considered, the initiatives for the development of tourism via the Western Silk Road Initiative created through cooperation with the UNWTO, the strategies on the development of the Western Silk Road as a sustainable tourism route and the actions of the Silk Road Programme in the year 2017 as the international year for development of sustainable tourism were presented during the event. The results of the 7 th ministerial meeting of Silk Road countries held on 8 March through the ITB Berlin exhibition were also summed up during the event.

During the session, Mekhak Apresyan delivered a speech and suggested undertaking the project for development and promotion of the “Wine Tourism” tourism result within the framework of the Silk Road Programme and through cooperation with the UNWTO, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) and several member states, and the participants gave their consent.

Mekhak Apresyan had several meetings with tourism officials. In particular, during a meeting with UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, Apresyan discussed the need for Armenia’s participation in the sitting of the UNWTO Executive Board which, among many issues, will also discuss the items on the agenda of UNWTO General Assembly, including the confirmation of the candidates of the UNWTO affiliated members and the election of the UNWTO Secretary-General.

An agreement was also reached on posting the events organized in Armenia through the Silk Road Programme and information about traditional festivals on the official website of the UNWTO.

Apresyan and Director of Tripadvisor website Helena Egan discussed the opportunities for more active dissemination of information about Armenia and its tourism result on the website.

During a meeting with international relations correspondent of Connecting Travel website Daniela Wagner, the sides discussed the opportunities for presenting Armenia and Armenia’s tourism result in the United Kingdom, as well as the opportunities for the establishment and development of business relations between representatives of the private sector in Armenia and the United Kingdom.