ECOTOURISM AS A GUARANTEE OF SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: EXAMPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

Abstract

The article discusses the common peculiarities, problems and perspectives of the tourism sector in the countries with developing economy using as a basis the growing socioeconomic significance and the ecological problems connected with it. The problem of relevance of ecological orientation for long-term strategic development in tourism sector has been asserted, the whole fascination of ecotourism has been revealed in terms of the balanced progress of the country’s economy and the provident use of non-renewable natural resources. With the proposed methodology a hierarchical variant of inclusive estimation of the potentials of ecotourism in the process of the foundation and extension of tourism centers is represented. The analyzed problem is more explicit in the countries of developing economy with the limited resource potentials as the Republic of Armenia is regarded. The article examines the peculiarities of development, the tendencies and perspectives of the tourism sector in the Republic of Armenia, the county’s bioclimatic, socioeconomic and historical features. Matching the acquired information, the possibilities of the development of ecotourism have been estimated in correspondence with the proposed methodology and taking into consideration the perspective benefit of all the partners of market relations, the sustainable development of economy, along with the priority of the maintenance of non-renewable resources.