ArmInfo. Rafting.am program officially launches in Armenia from June 26, due to which Armenian residents and tourists who prefer extreme types of recreation will be able to go rafting (sports rafting on mountain rivers and artificial rowing channels on 6-, 4- and 2-local inflatable vessels (rafts) - Ed. note) on the Debed River in the Lori region. This was stated by the first Deputy Head of the State Committee for Tourism of the Republic of Armenia Mekhak Apresyan at the today's press conference.
Rafting.am is implemented within the framework of the "Integrated Rural Tourism Development" program, which is funded by the Russian Federation and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The total budget of the program is $ 3 million. Rafting.am, according to M. Apresyan, is implemented in cooperation with the Association of Young Women (AYWA) with the support of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development and the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments.
AYWA Chairman Lilit Asatryan noted that work on the development and preparation of the program was carried out during the year. She stressed that the proceeds from the program will be used to solve problems and improve the living standards of young women and families.
Speaking about the cost of the tour, L. Asatryan noted that the tour packages have already been prepared, both one-day and multi-day, which include accommodation and meals. ''In case of choosing a one-day tour, which will last from one to one and a half hours, starting from Haghpat village and finishing at Neghots village, the cost will be 12 thousand drams, "she said. In addition, as part of the program, discussions are being held with travel companies to include a rafting tour in tourist packages for tourists. For the development of the program cooperation with the Rafting Association of Georgia has been established, where this tourist product has long enjoyed popularity among tourists and is highly developed. "We already have an agreement on holding joint events with Georgian partners. In addition, the Armenian rafting team is preparing to apply for participation in regional and international events, "L. Asatryan added. To note, daily rafting tours kick off starting from June 27 on the river Debed for everyone. One can follow the news on the official page of the program in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rafting.am/ To recall, in the autumn of 2017, Armenian and foreign experts studied the conditions and opportunities for rafting on the Debed River, coming to the conclusion that on a 6-point scale the river has a rafting-friendly degree of complexity (4+).