Visioning Meeting #1:
Occurred in November 2010 in Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.
This initial meeting built relationships among the team and also with diverse stakeholders who were involved in several productive meetings and activities. Existing curriculums and updates for each institution were reviewed; funding opportunities for Turkish and Armenian faculty were discussed; creative public and private sector and academy collaborations were identified; research needs for further action and subsequent plans were defined. The trip was sealed with a great level of cross-cultural understanding, and outcomes of the activities exceeded expectations for all institutional partners.
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Visioning Meeting #2:
Occurred in March 2011 in Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey.
Several meetings and presentations were conducted during this meeting as well. All domains of the project goals were reviewed and several outcomes were achieved. The trip was very productive, featuring meetings and site visits to various attractions. Project partners not only familiarized themselves with the Turkish tourism industry but also built mutually beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders. Educational needs for the tourism workforce as it relates to culturally and environmentally sustainable regional tourism development were identified. All external participants, including tourism practitioners, and Armenian and Turkish community members were involved in and supportive of the overall project's objectives. The warm and friendly connections built among team members were further nurtured into true fellowship.
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Visioning Meeting #3:
Occurred in September 2011 in Yerevan and Gyumri, Armenia.
Similar to the first and second visioning meetings in the U.S.A. and Turkey, several meetings were conducted during the visit, and several presentations were also delivered by the team members and guests. Through productive discussions, all domains of the project objectives and goals were visited and several outcomes were achieved. ASUE team's effective organization of meetings and site visits enabled the team to have a first-hand experience with diverse aspects of tourism as well as build contacts and network with the industry stakeholders. Academic faculty, tourism practitioners, as well as students and other relevant members of the community were involved in and supportive of the project. The visit to Armenia, which was a first for all Turkish and American team members, proved that normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia through tourism, particularly with a focus on the youth segment, is already underway. Encouraged by the outcomes of this visit, ATA Fellows are geared towards effective implementation of the educational activities planned for the next 12 months.
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Online Education & Capacity Building : Ongoing
Few courses have been planned for capacity building in Turkey and Armenia with the vision of sustainable tourism development. The Tourism English course is designed specifically to address the language needs of tourism and hospitality industry workforce. Since English is commonly the medium of communication for international travelers, it is important for current and potential employees to be able to communicate the basics of tourism terminology. Using a highly interactive interface, this online course will focus on tourism terminology, and cultural differences in expressions. The course will be delivered during the second year of the project at no cost to participants (30 in total) among both students and industry workers in each country. However, priority will be given to individuals from disadvantaged communities and non-elite groups. In addition, based on the needs of both Turkey and Armenia in tourism development and the guiding philosophy of ATA Fellows, a new certificate program entitled "Sustainable Regional Tourism Development" was outlined. The courses for the certificate program were identified during the second visioning meeting in Turkey with special emphasis in destination development procedures, including analysis, planning and development at the initial stages followed by management and marketing.
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Student Mobility & Exchange:
Feildtrip to Ani, Turkey, Summer 2012
Service learning experience trip to Florida, U.S.A., Fall 2012
These activities are designed to increase the value and educational outcomes of the new courses, in addition to enhancement of language and communication skills. In the summer of 2012, the DEU team in collaboration with industry stakeholders, particularly in Kars province of Turkey where Ani is located, will organize a 10-day field trip to Ani for U.S., Turkish and Armenian students (10 from each country) to apply their knowledge on a major cultural and heritage tourism site shared by both Turkish and Armenian cultures. Following this field trip, the UF team, in collaboration with the Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau, will organize a 14-day tourism service learning project in North Central Florida for U.S., Turkish and Armenian students (9 from each country). This project will allow students the experience of a successful application of regional tourism development initiatives. Additionally, the Bureau will also assist in the coordination of field trips and learning opportunities to various tourism operations within the greater North and Central Florida regions.
A reconnaissance visit to Kars was conducted between June 26-29, 2011 to set details for the student trip to Ani in 2012. Meetings and discussions with the local officials and public will be used for effective and efficient organization of the student filed trip.
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Research : Ongoing
Based on the discussions of the visioning meetings, a few areas of research have been identified for immediate attention to improve the cross-border travel between Turkey and Armenia. Focus group studies have been conducted on students at DEU and ASUE to understand the potential issues regarding image, cultural distance and tourism between Armenia and Turkey. Results indicated perceptions that are on the spectrum of lack of any perception to somewhat biased perception. Additional future studies on both supply and demand side of tourism were identified to pursue as well.
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Outreach & Service : Ongoing
ATAF aims serving tourism industry in each country by developing new relationships as well as strengthening old relationships with several industry stakeholders including, public and private businesses, attractions, DMOs and associations. Besides, ATAF facilitated revitalization of the existing Sister City Programs between US and Turkey (Tampa-Izmir) while initiating new programs between three countries. Members from Tampa Sister Cities Committee, Turkish Community Center and Tampa City Council were involved in meetings organized during the 1st Visioning Meeting in Gainesville, US. Likewise, Deputy Mayor of Izmir was also involved in the meetings organized during the 2nd Visioning Meeting in Izmir, Turkey. Plaques and Gifts were exchanged for dedicated friendship during these meetings.
Besides, during the 2nd Visioning Meeting in Turkey, the team visited Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul and met with Archbishop Aram Atesyan, the Deputy General of the Patriarch. Archbishop Atesyan provided his comments, suggestions and blessings for the team in this meaningful endeavor.
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Symposium : Summer 2013
A larger scale meeting (workshop/symposium) is planned to focus on issues concerned with achieving environmental, social and economic sustainability of tourism for regional development. A multi-disciplinary approach will be promoted to foster greater understanding and collaboration between social science experts, tourism scholars, practitioners, government officials, policy makers, relevant international and local organizations, NGOs, SCOs, institutions, experts, authorities, local communities and other stakeholders from the U.S., Turkey, Armenia, and other countries in the Caucasus region. The meeting is intended to provide attendees with a platform to discuss and address the issues related to education, research, and industry outreach within the general framework of sustainable tourism for regional development in the cross-border region.
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