.jpg)
Armenia and Artsakh, presenting the world in a new way: the Award Ceremony of “Once in Armenia” stories’ contest took place
The real stories’ remarkable contest “Once in Armenia” will serve as an additional impulse to present Armenia and Artsakh to the world. It allows to represent Armenian tourism attraction through the contest participants’ stories, uncover the known and yet unknown sides of one of the most ancient countries in the world.
The contest, initiated by the “Armenia” air-company, “Armenpress” state news agency and the Tourism state committee of the RA Ministry of Economic development and Investments will popularize tourism also in the modern media, will strengthen the tourism-media connection.
On the 19th of March the contest winners’ awarding ceremony took place.
“We are holding the first event of its kind. In this program we were assisted by the State Tourism Committee and “Armenpress” state news agency. By the way, this is the first serious cooperation with “Armenpress” and I hope that it’s on the right way. In the series of the stories in one case there was the tourist visiting Armenia, in another case- the one who had undergone the incident. We have made the final choice among the pre-selected three dozens of stories”- said the deputy director of the air-company “Armenia”.
.jpg)
The prize of the contest was Yerevan-Beirut-Yerevan or Beirut-Yerevan-Beirut directions’ free air-tickets. Why exactly Beirut had been chosen, Khachatryan clarified: a lot of Armenians live in that country. “It’s the country where you may contact everything that is Armenian: culture, history, churches, even trade. Armenians have a big contribution in Beirut”,- said Khachatryan and hoped that the trip
would serve the purpose for the winners.
The director of “Armenpress” state news agency greatly highlighted the importance of this project.
“With this we are able to solve several challenges: the increase in the tourism attraction of Armenia, the strengthening of tourism- media links, the popularization of tourism and creating the content by the users of the news products in the modern media. This has been the first experience of such a cooperation and I think that it has been rather successful”, -said Ananyan and added that they had to try to implement other programs of such a kind, which would make both tourism and journalism attractive.
According to the first deputy president of the Armenian State Tourism Committee Mekhak Apresyan, the contest was aimed at having as interesting stories as possible.
“Also, the aim was to represent Armenia, Artsakh, the tourism results in a more interesting and diversified way for both for the inner and international market, based on them (ed. the stories). And as it required creative solution, we decided to announce such a contest”- he said.
Apresyan thinks that the contest met its goal: rather interesting ideas were suggested. And in the future they might make a movie or just a video by using those stories.
The two winners of the contest “Once in Armenia” Nane Hayrapetyan and Meri Zohrabyan received air-tickets in Yerevan-Beirut-Yerevan or Beirut-Yerevan-Beirut directions. Anna Gevorgyan, Gayane Sargsyan, Liana Yeghiazaryan and Mher Ter-Petrosyan were presented with 50 % discount for a trip.
“I have been planning to visit Beirut for a long time and every time I didn’t manage it by some circumstances. When I read about the contest and saw that the prize was a trip to Beirut, I decided that I had to write. Although up to the day before the deadline of the contest, I couldn’t decide what to write about. My sister gave me the idea. And I wrote a story about our village and Tatev. I have presented the village bus where were me, my family, people of the village and French tourists”,- said the contest winner Nane Hayrapetyan.
.jpg)
The other winner Mery Zohrabyan said that she had decided to participate because she had had an interaction with the Armenian diaspora members both in the scientific and tourism areas, always trying to perceive why the repatriation didn’t work out.
“At the period of my concerns I began to study and interact with the Armenians living abroad. And I realized: we from Armenia, they from their countries might create something together. The focus of my story was that we need to feel strong and not to concentrate on the weaknesses and past. We should remember the past, but not remain on that point”- she mentioned.
Liana Yeghiazaryan, who had received a discount card to the Beirut flight, within the contest framework, said that her story was not only her but everybody’s message: “I’ve written about a marvelous church in a very cozy place in the mountain. If you don’t know its place or if the street signs do not show its place, you’ll pass it over and won’t even guess that there’s a huge adorable church complex in that mountain. My story is simply a preach and invitation to everyone to go and see that clamp in Martiros village”- she noted.
The contest had launched on the 21st of December of 2017. Several dozens of stories had been received. The tourism attraction of Armenia was presented in a new manner, the known and yet unknown sides of one of the oldest country were being discovered through the stories.