Agritourism Development Issues In Rural Places: Evidence From 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.