Armenia is leading in Black Sea Silk Road Corridor (BSSRC) Project that was signed on 24 January 2013 as 42 sites of Armenia are listed in this social project.
The Black Sea Silk Road Corridor (BSSRC) Project is a 24-month project that will foster cross-border cooperation and economic development in 173 communities across four countries of the Black Sea Basin – Armenia, Georgia, Greece and Turkey.
Problems in the project’s target communities include poverty, lack of jobs, isolation and little contact with the outside world. For communities that adjoin cultural and natural monuments of significance, this is a problem that can in part be alleviated through increased tourism and development of infrastructure and services for tourists. 8% of global GDP is generated through tourism, and a growing sector is authentic tourism, hereby tourists become more deeply involved in a culture they visit, through contact with locals, overnight stays in village homes, learning crafts and arts, participating in traditional activities and purchasing traditional products, etc.
The BSSRC project aims to improve economic development by its establishment and promotion of local services and products at communities along the trail, through increased awareness, tourism and promotion. Establishing the BSSRC across borders is local, people-to people (both in creating the trail and in its operation as a tourist destination) and by its definition promotes working together to address the common challenges of rural isolation and poverty at many regions along the trail. The combined resources of our four countries is the remarkable history, natural beauty and authentic cultural makeup of the region—the BSSRC uses these as building blocks for its construction and highlights the common cultural interests of states while celebrating their diversity.
In Armenia the project is funded by the EU Black Sea Cross Border Cooperation framework, USAID through its EDMC Project, and the Armenian Monuments Awareness Project, as the lead implementer.
The Project is expected to alleviate rural isolation and develop local communities through eco-friendly tourism to both enhance visitor’s experiences and protect cultural monuments and biodiversity.
