| Project Detail |
Tourism and Regional Infrastructure Improvement Project (TRIP) consists of four components that will collectively contribute to improving the access to climate-resilient infrastructure for the benefit of local communities and visitors, enhancing the attractiveness of selected sites, enabling job creation, and increasing the contributions to the local economy from the tourism sector in seven prioritized clusters of (i) Areni; (ii) Gyumri; (iii) Goris; (iv) Dilijan; (v) Dvin; (vi) Jermuk and (vii) Yeghegis. Component 1: Fostering integrated and sustainable cluster development will finance technical assistance (TA), consultancy services, goods and equipment, for, inter alia, the preparation of Cluster Development Plans (CDPs) and the associated analytical and technical studies to develop and implement the CDPs. The CDPs will help facilitate integrated and sustainable development and comprise the overall vision for the cluster over a 10-year planning horizon and will serve as the guiding document for prioritizing interventions under the respective clusters. The following main TA activities envisioned under this component include: development and finalization of CDPs for Dilijan, Dvin, Goris, Jermuk, and Yeghegis; preparation of climate and disaster resilient zoning and master plans, investment planning studies, and other analytical work; public awareness campaigns and associated citizen engagement (CE) activities during and after preparation of CDPs; development of site management and/or operational and maintenance plans for selected tourism assets and cultural heritage sites; conducting surveys and other tourism data acquisition activities for the collection of anonymized information and reporting of local tourism statistics; support to the establishment and/or operations of Destination Management Offices (DMOs) in Areni, Dilijan, Yeghegis and Jermuk clusters; leadership training activities and promoting local participation of women to assume leadership roles in decision-making bodies within the tourism value chain, including through increased representation in Local Working Groups (LWG) under the Project and supporting women with the necessary capacity building and skills enhancement. Component 2: Supporting climate-resilient infrastructure and promoting private sector participation in local economies aims at closing the identified gaps across all seven clusters and improvements in basic infrastructure, tourism and service delivery from the regional and tourism development perspectives across the seven project-supported priority clusters. Selection of the activities under this component will be informed by the CDPs developed and completed under Component 1. The component includes the following sub-components: Subcomponent 2.1: Rehabilitating and upgrading infrastructure and services will finance consultant services and civil works for improving basic and tourism-relevant infrastructure and urban upgrading to enhance access to tourist sites and surrounding areas. The investments under this component will include, but are not limited to, the following activities: (i) improving the quality and condition of roads and transport-related infrastructure, including promoting the adoption of green and eco-friendly alternative modes of transportation (e.g., public transport systems such as ropeways, electric buses, cycling, etc.); (ii) upgrading of basic infrastructure and services and rehabilitation of municipal infrastructure, including improving existing local water supply connections; rehabilitation and upgrading of sewerage systems, and wastewater collection and discharge systems; and improvements for proper storm water management; (iii) enhancing the attractiveness of public areas and spaces, including rehabilitation and/or expansion of green spaces, public park upgrading, streetscaping, and the provision of related urban amenities for satisfactory touristic experiences; (iv) provision of tourism-related infrastructure and services, including the construction or rehabilitation of tourism facilities, such as destination management offices and museums, and the preservation and improvement of cultural heritage assets; (v) support for Public-Private Investments (PPI), which includes the provision of complementary public infrastructure improvements to attract private investments. This activity would provide public infrastructure required to ensure the viability of commercial investments, such as new or rehabilitated adjacent public facilities, roads and streets, water and sanitation, and telecommunications. Subcomponent 2.2: Fostering private sector participation, enhancing professional skills, and enabling job creation will finance consultant services for promotion of the clusters and increasing the participation of local firms and individuals in the tourism sector for local economic development. Proposed activities will include: (i) branding, marketing, and promotion within the tourism value chain; (ii) promoting public-private partnerships (PPPs), including the assessment, design, and preparation of potentially viable PPPs identified under the CDPs; (iii) providing professional skills development in the HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) sector for local workers involved in tourism and tourism-related businesses, with priority given to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups; (iv) providing on-the-job training (e.g., restaurant and culinary training) and formal learning (e.g., HoReCa certification programs); (v) delivering training and other capacity-building activities for local tourism firms and entrepreneurs, incorporating women’s preferences, needs, and design contributions through a participatory, gender-inclusive process; (vi) delivering studies and analytical work to design, support implementation, and/or monitor activities aimed at fostering job opportunities in the tourism sector across the clusters; and (vii) developing and/or promoting digital tools and software applications to provide real-time information (e.g., transportation options, event calendars, festivals, available amenities, hiking trails, and tour builders). Component 3: Program Management and Operational Support will finance overall project management costs, including operational costs, consulting services, non-consulting services, vehicles, goods, communications, outreach, audits, and training, including the costs of the Project implementing agency to carry out Project management functions and ensure all project activities meet the Bank requirements related to environmental, social, fiduciary, and technical standards, as well as a monitoring and evaluation costs. Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) will allow for the rapid reallocation of uncommitted project funds towards urgent needs in the event of a disaster (geophysical, climate-related, or man-made), or public health emergency. Such events may include floods, earthquakes, droughts, wildfires, and disease outbreaks. An agreed trigger for the CERC would enable reallocation of the uncommitted project funds to support immediate response and recovery needs from other project components. The positive list of eligible activities will be specified in the CERC Manual, and disbursements would be made against a positive list of critical goods, civil works, and consulting services required to support the immediate response and recovery needs. The proposed operation aligns with the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for FY25-FY29 which is expected to be approved in January 2025 and will contribute to the new CPF proposed outcomes and objectives. The TRIP aligns with the current CPFs three focus areas: (i) enabling exports and firm competitiveness by supporting job creation and private sector participation in the tourism sector; (ii) boosting human capital and strengthening equity through training and skills enhancement in hospitality; (iii) promoting sustainable management of the environment and natural . To improve access to climate-resilient infrastructure and increase tourism contribution to the local economy of project-supported clusters in Armenia. |
