Driving about 90 kilometers northeast of Armenia’s vibrant capital city of Yerevan, the highway narrows into mountainous roads as you enter the Tavush region famous for its resort town of Dilijan. The unusual hot and humid summer has vacationers flocking to “Armenia’s Switzerland” not only from Armenia, but also bordering Georgia, Russia and Iran, as well as from various parts of Europe, Jackie Abramian, PR & Social Media strategist, writes in The Huffington Post

“Although today’s Dilijan is desolate and worn-out, newly opened B&Bs, restaurants, boutique hotels and even large hotel chains like Best Western dot the landscape in preparation for what many hope will be the town’s upcoming internationalization boom, promising to inject a much-needed vivacity into Dilijan. Among those descending upon the resort town are entrepreneurs and philanthropists with grand economic redevelopment plans for resuscitating Dilijan into an educational, cultural, recreational and financial hub for the entire region,” she writes.

According to the author, traces of the emerging boom are already evident in the striking glass and white concrete building of the Central Bank of Armenia’s training and research center on top of a hill overlooking the town. But more importantly, she writes, massive cultural and economic redevelopment plans are underway headed by Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Charitable Foundation and Dilijan Development Foundation established by philanthropists Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend.

“With foresight, vision and deep conviction of such individuals, organizations and philanthropists perhaps today’s Dilijan will regain its reputation and surpass expectations. It is most certainly worth the wait!” the author stresses.