Future Developement of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.

How to turn this gem of ours into a goldmine for Armenia.

We should use Armenian tourist attractions abroad to educate people about Armenia and to advertise it as a tourist destination. An example of this would be the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. This city sees so many tourists and they for the most part skip over the Armenian Quarter (although the many Armenian properties are passed by all the time). This is probably some of the most valuable real estate in the world... the old city of Jerusalem, three religions would love to get their hands on it. We own it and are not utilizing it to its full potential. There are still large empty plots in our section, the only ones I have seen. What should be done there? A large youth hostel should be built for one, as well as a decent hotel... get as much foot traffic in there as possible. Then redo the entire Armenian Museum, which is a very small scale museum with almost no visitors. Turn it into a showcase of Armenian history, art, etc. Make it a MUST SEE for all the tourists. Emphasize our 1700 year old church, oldest Christian nation status, bring in a few khatchkars, have some explanations of our services, etc. Aside from this we could open something like a McDonalds perhaps in the Armenian Quarter... bring in a ton of income while you are at it (McFalafel & McHomus anyone?).

By developing the Armenian Quarter into what I have described, giving San Lazarro a facelift, and moving an ancient Armenian Church to LA, Armenia would recieve a huge boost in its tourism.

"Armenian Quarter" Armenian Patriarchate Road, main road in the Armenian Quarter. © Raffi Kojian 1996

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