Meet the Women Changing Tourism Today: Yana Mkrtchyan
International Women’s Day may be a week away, but we believe it’s never too early to celebrate the women in our lives. So today we’re taking a moment to talk about the wonderful women we get to work with at ONEArmenia and 2492 Travel.
After several years studying and working in Yerevan, Yana Mkrtchyan decided to move her family back to her hometown of Vanadzor. Ever since then, she has been actively investing in the development of the city, starting with the management of Maghay B&B, one of the first guesthouses to be opened in Armenia.
“When the idea of bed & breakfasts first came to the country, a few of my family members went to the US to attend conferences and learn more about the business.” In 2006, they repurposed an old family home, adding rooms and making renovations in the following years. Since moving back to Vanadzor, Yana has become much more involved in the family business, collaborating with different organizations and the local government to establish new projects that will make the city a tourist destination. One such project is EcoHub Foundation, which Yana co-founded with the aim of educating local youth on sustainable development. She later helped establish Boo Alternative House as a place to hold these programs.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Yana began thinking of ways she could differentiate their guesthouse from others while offering something unique to Vanadzor. After speaking with her community, she realized it had the potential to be a great base for hiking and winter sports. To help build a new experience around this concept, we teamed up with Yana through our “Inside Armenia: Enhancing Tourism Experiences” project, to incubate and accelerate a new experience called The Nest by Maghay.
Nestled in the mountains of Vanadzor, The Nest will be (when ready) the only snowshoeing resort in Armenia, where you can participate in a sensory experience that combines adventure — hiking or snowshoeing — with relaxation — guided hot and cold therapy in a sauna and nearby river, which is known to promote overall well being. You’ll be able to try it out for yourself soon, when we unveil the new 2492 platform in the coming months!
The Nest by Maghay is coming to life as part of our “Inside Armenia: Enhancing Tourism Experiences” project, supported through the EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Department for Armenia (ITTD)” project which is co-funded by the EU and the BMZ, and implemented by GIZ.
By the way, did you know that women represent two thirds of the ONEArmenia team? If you like the work we’re doing, consider supporting with a donation as we continue to create local jobs for local people and move closer towards our goal of making Armenia the #1 destination in the South Caucasus.
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