The Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia launched the new brand for Armenia as a tourism hotspot on an international level. The new brand embodies Armenia’s ancient heritage, pristine nature and rugged landscapes, combined with an overwhelming hospitality and rich culinary scene all accessible at an affordable price. The brand’s new tagline “Armenia, The Hidden Track” and rich visual identity highlight Armenia’s distinctive character as an undiscovered gem with a positive vibe, providing tourists with authentic experiences off the beaten path.

“It is very important for any brand, especially a destination brand, to have a clear  positioning that reflects its unique value proposition. We wanted a fresh and dynamic brand that would appeal to the international audience and AHA collective has delivered just that, ” noted Vahan Kerobyan, Minister of Economy at the Republic of Armenia.

“Armenia possesses remarkable tourism potential in its unique but largely unknown and unexplored cultural and natural resources, as well as experiences in gastro and adventure tourism. The purpose of the project was to define and create the branding and visual identity elements for Armenia as an attractive travel destination and amplify Armenia’s market position as a tourist destination among international target audiences,” said Sisian Boghossian, Head of the Tourism Committee.

The new destination brand of Armenia was created in collaboration with the Yerevan-based creative studio AHA collective within the frames of the EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia (ITTD)’’ project supported by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Following an iterative user-engagement research process based on two vectorial lenses - country perception and country experience, key insights were captured about how the target audience perceives and lives the Armenian experience. In partnership with the Tourism Committee of Armenia, AHA collective’s team developed a unique brand translating the country’s competitive assets into a competitive identity, making Armenia a distinctive and authentic destination brand from all others.

The brand encompasses Armenia’s DNA, truly embracing actual perceptions and experiences of both visitors and residents. Armenia is distinctively perceived and experienced as a magnetic and generous country: one that is a historical and cultural hidden gem, that offers boundless warmth and hospitality, that generates surprising emotions and an authentic feeling of belongingness.

“We are happy to support Armenia on its way to establishing itself on the international tourism market! Indeed, there is a lot yet to discover in this wonderful country and we are looking forward to hear of many new achievements of Tourism Committee of Armenia under this new beautiful brand identity” noted Antonis Tsamoulis, Cooperation officer at the EU Delegation to Armenia.

The tagline “The Hidden Track” expresses both the primary meaning of the unveiled, a road yet to be discovered, and also suggests an exploration of its secondary meaning in the musical field. This refers to the surprise track that used to be at the end of CDs and audio cassettes in such a way that it is unlisted and unknown before the listener heard the entire record - a surprise piece completing the listener’s experience. This expression rightfully refers to the emotion of amazement and surprise tourists feel while visiting Armenia.

“One of the main goals of our project is to secure the long term sustainable development of tourism sector and in this regard we are happy to support Armenia not only in private sector but also on the institutional level. I congratulate Tourism Committee on their new brand identity, and I'm looking forward to see this beautiful logo representing Armenia on different expos and events worldwide.” said Wilhelm Hugo, Team Leader of the EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia” Project

Armenia’s rooted history and culture offers multi-layered explorations for visitors of all ages. The country’s contemporary scene is rich with gastro and adventure, and its experiential trails engage visitors in a friendly, bold, and passionate journey. The brand follows this tone of voice through its visual elements.

“The brand is designed as an organic and ever-evolving framework. Defined as an immersive sound wave environment echoing the mountainous landscapes of Armenia, the visual identity entails the entire design elements as a built-in soundscape. The modular design system is conceived on structured yet flexible core elements, amongst which are the wordmark, the custom-made typography from which bursts an inclusive illustrative system, the warm and vivid color palette. The versatility of the visual system offers boundless creativity across applications and allows the identity to mature along with time to always be different, fresh, and unique. Designed with such an approach, the brand engages the beholder in an immersive and dynamic visual quest towards one’s discovery of Armenia” explained Nairi Khatchadourian, Director of AHA collective.

The brand launch peak was the reveal of a unique manifest designed in motion as a letter addressed by Armenia to the world for travelers to visit the country. The manifest connects  the audience with the brand through its tone of voice and visual elements, emphasizing the brand’s vision to “Make Armenia a constant discovery”.

During the launch, an interactive digital installation created by Efekt Video Maker by Picsart allowed the audience to immerse themselves in the brand’s visual identity.