TSAKHKADZOR ONLY FOR THE RICH
03 February, 2009
While the RA government declares the ideas of turning Jermuk into a sanitary center, Dilijan into a business center and Gyumri into a finance and enterprise center as primary goals, Tsakhkadzor with its sanitary center and vacation zone is losing its visitors and not only local Armenians, but also guests from abroad.
During winter months, mountain skiing fans prefer Tsakhkadzor, but the prices for services and force people to reconsider their preferences. The price for one ride on the ropeway in Tsakhkadzor is 1,500 drams, while the price for staying one day is 10,000 drams.
The 10,000 drams includes going up the ropeway 20 times. This means that the person who stays there loses energy after 20 times, told A1+ one of our citizens who has stopped going to Tsakhkadzor to relax. There are only four skates, 5 or 6 slide areas and all that for 10,000 drams. You can do the same in Austria for three days without any limits, said Alexander from Yerevan. Our interlocutor drew comparisons between Armenia and the Georgian city of Gudaur.
One day is 20 dollars in Gudauri, but it is a much better vacation resort. The weather is bad in Tsakhkadzor. There is no service because the people who provide services feel estranged when they see a foreigner. They dont know any language and lack training. However, this is not the case in Gudauri because there you see professionals. Id rather go to Georgia than to Tsakhkadzor.
Another mountain skiing fan told us about his vacation in a resort 50 kilometers away from the Austrian city of Kitzbuel. I paid 64 euros. The conditions were perfect. We paid only 28 euros each for using the ropeway. Unlike Tsakhkadzor, Kitzbuel offered discounts for children, he said.
The ski areas are 2,200 kilometers. There is no wind and 90 percent of the ropeway is closed. I saw Austrias conditions and nothing interests me in Tsakhkadzor anymore.
According to him, nobody can change nature, but prices have to be suitable and it all comes from the monopoly. Today, the most important issue is the prices for ropeway set by the owners and because of the prices, people who have skied for years and cant picture their life without skiing can no longer ski.
Not only are the prices and conditions bad, but also the attitude towards visitors. They treat us as second-class people. For example, there is a special table for the president and another table for high-ranking officials, said our interlocutor.
A1+
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