“We live in Syunik and we are not going anywhere.” Anush Malintsyan

In the entire world, the pandemic has dealt the biggest economic blow to the tourism business. More so in Armenia, where the situation with the pandemic was exacerbated by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalation. Our interlocutor, Anush Malintsyan, Marketing Manager of the Yeghevnut Hotel in Goris, is from Syunik, which today is at the epicenter of both internal and external challenges, where the most important issue is security.

The Yeghevnut Hotel near the northern entrance to Goris belongs to Anush Malintsyan’s family. According to Anush, in recent years, along with the development of tourism in the region, they have made significant progress, starting in 2007 with 5 rooms, today they already have 34 rooms. But the war came and everything changed…

In a conversation with WomenNet.am, Anush Malintsyan tells about the trials that their family business went through during 2020, full of challenges… against the background of the spread of coronavirus infection, they decided not to close but to help people as much as possible. She says they did not even think for a minute how long  such a situation would last, what complications would come their way, what would happen. There was just a clear realization that they had to help. As a result, their hotel was the only one in the region that agreed to work as an isolation cell for people in contact. “We did not even think about how long it would take, a week or a month. “We were doing the right thing,” she said.

And then the war started and the same principle worked: we should help, support, alleviate the pain of the people who found themselves in a catastrophic situation, leaving their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Living in a neighboring region, they did not hesitate for a minute. As a result, from September 27 to November 17, the hotel hosted the people of  Nagorno-Karabakh.

The solution to the situation, she says, is of course global – political, regional, etc., but the authorities should not leave the situation to its own devices. For example, says Anush Malintsyan, in the near future, when the security issue stabilizes a bit, this direction can be activated with provision of   social benefits, so that people do not avoid visiting this beautiful region.

“We live in Syunik and we are not going to leave anywhere. “Problems are everywhere today, but Syunik should not be allowed to be considered a dangerous zone and people should not be deprived of the pleasure of enjoying this wonderful nature,” she added.

Full text in Armenian