For some two decades I’ve snarled, ground my teeth, and bewailed to myself about the great positive publicity Turkey gets from all the write-ups and advertising in the LATimes Travel section.
No doubt various travel agencies, as well as perhaps the government itself, have also been showcasing their “wares” and travel shows worldwide, though that’s not something I’ve seen. Of course, the pup-Turks of Azerbaijan are following at the heels of the genocidal state they want to emulate and appearing at travel shows, too.
The LA Travel and Adventure Show 2014 is taking place this weekend at the Long Beach Convention Center. It is billed as “the largest” of its kind. Turkey will be represented with not just one, but two, booths, and Azerbaijan will be there too. One of the Turkish booths is to be right at the entrance of the show—and the largest there!
One of the Turkish booths will be concentrating on “Eastern Turkey,” which of course is “occupied” Armenia. And that’s what’s so frustrating and annoying about all this. They are profiting from Armenian and other cultural legacies they have brutally usurped. Azerbaijan is doing the same, focusing on Artsakh, again. Yes, “again,” because this is where it gets weird.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that when a country is led by a megalomaniac, the realm of fantasy is always near. The most prominent banner at Azerbaijan’s booth at the LA Times Travel show held Jan. 17-18 was headlined “Karabakh: Crown Jewel of Azerbaijan.” Yes, you read that correctly. And, it’s a banner they’ve been using for at least a year or so (one of my sources observed it at an Orange County travel show, that long ago).
These people are promoting a travel destination that they cannot deliver any of their potential customers to! What happens when someone wants to go there? Who knows? Maybe they’ve cut a back-door deal with some oligarch in the Republic of Armenia to shuttle them from Yerevan to Artsakh. But then, we also have to wonder, if the Azeris are encouraging travel to Artsakh, why are they blacklisting anyone who goes there?
Of course, this is all part of the “soft” propaganda that any country, especially one with image problems, loves to have. So it’s natural that the Azerbaijan’s consulate in Los Angeles has put out a promotional video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UU7ZqlezxdW_b0aeOZZElepA&v=mqt-dKkVZhM) about it. What’s frustrating about this video is the glowing praise that a Devin Galaudet, travel writer who also has some affiliation with the Huffington Post, heaps on Azerbaijan after his trips there some three months ago. Are we doing these things? I am not aware, and I fear the answer is not affirmative.
The other bit of fantasy, if not farce, that came out of the January show is a “news” item (http://en.trend.az/news/society/2233044.html) in “Trend,” an online Azeri “news” source. It is headlined, “Armenian lobby fails to prevent Azerbaijan’s participation at Los Angeles Times Travel Show,” but contains not a word about the matter until the penultimate sentence, which reads: “It should be noted that despite various attempts by the Armenian lobby in California to prevent Azerbaijan’s participation at the show, these attempts have utterly failed.”
What’s funny is, no one I spoke with knew anything about any effort our community has made in this vein. It’s possible some individuals did some work below the radar, of course. But, I’m more inclined to believe this is just the Azeris trying to slam us and appear heroic to their audiences.
It’s time our travel agents and the governments of our two republics started showcasing our cultural wealth. After all, we are the originators of the culture, not the thieves who are profiting from their ill-gotten gains.
Garen Yegparian
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Dear Garen,
I enjoyed your story. I am also the person who heaped praise on Azerbaijan in the video interview you cite in this story (I am just seeing it for the first time). I did have an incredible time in Azerbaijan and it is true it appears to be much more active in promoting its country to visitors, which is odd because there are so many Armenian-Americans in my home of Los Angeles. I also want to note that I had an incredible time in Armenia, as well: http://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Europe/Churches-of-Armenia/#.U7xkYY1dXEY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnCfeVo_J-w&index=8&list=UU-0lq_Uu2BjjB-ooUkqOrPg are just two examples. I found wonderful people, food, architecture, churches and some terrible history. As someone not connected to the politics and atrocities of the region, I was both saddened and at times confused. Armenia has much worth visiting — I have loads to say on this subject but will not bore you with it here. I do hope Armenia’s tourism officials take a more active stance in the future.