YEREVAN, APRIL 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The second forum on Armenian tourism competitiveness is scheduled for May 6, and the 2008 Tourism Career Fair will be held on May 7 in Yerevan, NT correspondent was informed by Armine Israelian, coordinator of the tourism cluster the USAID-financed Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) program. According to her, the forum participants - heads and experts of tourism companies, state bodies and assistance-providing foreign organizations will present last year's achievements of the tourism sector and speak about future programs. A tourism career fair will be held for the first time. During the event, students of five Armenian higher educational institutions, which prepare specialists for the tourism sector, will present their capabilities to the tourist companies, providing them with an opportunity to find qualified employees. Discussing the issue of specialist preparation for the sector, CAPS travel marketing and communication advisor Nadia Pasqual said that although newly established, these institutions work hard but they lack teaching staff and literature. According to her information, Armenian tour operators are not quite willing to create an opportunity for students to do practical work. She explained it by the fact that not having received tourism education, the heads of tour operating companies avoid giving jobs to those with such education. "Whereas, practical skills are no less important than theoretical knowledge," she said.

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