Air Lift: Yerevan-Stepanakert flight

[Sari Galin]

Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow reporter in Karabakh

The Government of Nagorno Karabakh has serious intentions to take up tourism promotion in the country – a field believed to be potentially profitable, but with an insufficiently developed infrastructure.

One of the most significant steps taken by the authorities to attract tourists is major repairs and re-equipment of Stepanakert airport. In autumn of 2008 when the airport is put in commission, it’ll run a Stepanakert-Yerevan-Stepanakert flight stopped in 1992.

Karabakh’s only link with the outer world is Stepanakert-Lachin-Goris motorway. The railroad was shut down in 1989. Now, in order to get to Karabakh from Yerevan tourists must travel five to six hours over a serpentine road, which gets dangerous and sometimes impassable in winter.

As NKR President Bako Sahakyan has recently declared the lack of air transport is the main reason why there isn’t sufficient flow of tourists into the country. “I have recently been to USA, Russia and France and many of our compatriots confessed that they don’t come to Karabakh because there isn’t air service,” he said.

Even when the airport is repaired, there won’t be international flights, since Azerbaijan’s agreement would be required. “That is why we decided to put in commission Stepanakert-Yerevan-Stepanakert at first. Air service will let us not only liven up the tourism sector, but also life in the country,” the President said.

In 2008 NKR Government allocated 10 million drams (about $30,000) to the development of tourism. These funds will be directed towards research, design of plans, production of literature. Last year, the budget allocation to that sector did not exceed 2 million drams (about $6,000). However, some experts think that even 10 million is not enough to raise the tourism industry to the level of a priority field of economy. Not long ago NKR Prime-Minister Ara Haroutyunyan said talking about tourism that the government had not been leading a well-thought policy in the sphere. The means spent on support and development of tourism made 0.5 percent of tourists’ investment into the country’s economy.

Tourists from more than 60 countries come to Karabakh: the USA, Russian Federation, Iran, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Australia and even Thailand, Afghanistan and South Korea. By July of 2007 2,077 tourists had visited Karabakh. According to rough calculations a typical tourist spends about $100 a day while in Karabakh.

“Those are accommodation, food, transportation expenses and money spent on other services, purchase of souvenirs, etc. “According to the World Trade Organization assessment, every 100 tourists coming to the country create at least one job,” says Sergey Shahverdyan, director of Artsakh tourism development agency, adding that during last year’s tourist season $1.375 million was invested into Karabakh.

Tourist season in Karabakh lasts from spring to autumn, as Karabakhis admit themselves tourists have nothing to do here in winter. There aren’t resorts with winter sports, some parts of the roads to the sites become impassable in winter.

Tourism in Karabakh is mostly ethnic. Shahverdyan says serious measures need to be taken for attracting the tourists coming to Armenia to also visit Karabakh.

“The government’s primary task is to translate the whole country into a guest receiving mode,” says Shahverdyan. According to the agency data, the hotels in Karabakh operate at only 10 percent of their capacity: “Low occupancy of tourist hotels forces their owners to establish inadequately high rates for services. Besides, low occupancy, and as a consequence, low profitability, do not give an opportunity to improve the service quality,” says Shahverdyan

In 2007 about 130 additional beds were put in commission in new tourist-class hotels. Totally hotels in Karabakh can accommodate 422 tourists at a time, which is 20 percent higher the analogous indicator of 2006. Some 150 more cots will be available by tourist season 2008.

There are 10 hotels currently operating in Karabakh. Besides the officially registered hotels there are also private houses or apartments, leased to tourists, because it’s more cost-effective. If local residents pay 30-40 thousand drams per month ($100-130), tourists pay that amount for only 4-5 days. Nonetheless, it’s still cheaper than in hotels, where a single bed is 18-25 thousand drams ($60-80) per night.

Two new hotels- Armenia Hotel (in Stepanakert) and Tsovi Kar Hotel (in the village of Vank) opened in Karabakh in 2007; a new resort “Water World” opened in Hadrut region, near the village Tog; and an ethnographic quarter in Askeran region, village Ghshlagh.

As the owner of Nairi Hotel operating in Stepanakert Hakob Abulakyan assures, the number of tourists in Karabakh has increased for 50-60 percent in the recent years. For example, his hotel has around 7,000 visitors annually.

Last year tourism opportunities for Karabakh were presented in the exhibition hall of Armenian tour operators at the Globe-2007 international exposition, held in Rome from March 22 to 25. Artsakh tourism development agency also took part in a Moscow tourism exhibition in May of 2007. And still, as Karabakhi tour operators think, Karabakh is not sufficiently advertised and known as a potential tourist center.

[kaivaz]

Сухой Супер Джет - 100 переваливает через Карабахский хребет на подлете к аэропорту Степанакерта.

:flower:

(Кстати, интерсно было бы узнать посадочный курс аэропорта Арцаха. Там ВПП идет фактически воль русла Каркара с Запада на Восток. Я не думаю, что на практике даже такой относительно легкий самолет как SSJ смог бы выполнить крутую глиссаду и сесть "влоб", подлетая с запада, со стороны Армении. Ведь там для снижения мешают достаточно высокие горы Арцахского хребта.

Наверное придется уходить севернее в сторону Мардакерта, делать разворот над Агдамской равниной и садиться, заходя с востока. Со всеми вытекающими в плане безопасности.)

[kaivaz]

А еще - не знаю почему - часто смотрю вот это видео.

Вылет MD-83 Onur Air из аэропорта Эрзерума морозным зимним утром.

Так и кажется, что самолет этот армянский и летит он рейсом в Ереван, а не в Стамбул. Наверное потому что в Армению половину детства я тоже летал зимой...

Извините, если что не так.

[Javakhk]

Рейсу Армянских авиалиний Эрзрум-Степанакерт посвящаеться…

http://javakhk.net/audio/ErnekTeAisNorTari.mp3

[kaivaz]

Рейсу Армянских авиалиний Эрзрум-Степанакерт посвящаеться…

http://javakhk.net/audio/ErnekTeAisNorTari.mp3