WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marriott Bonvoy has dropped its controversial tourism package to ethnically cleansed Artsakh in the wake of a five-day international human rights campaign led by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and its counterparts and coalition partners around the world.
The 14-hour package offered travelers a guided tour across Artsakh, including the Azerbaijani-occupied cities of Shushi and Stepanakert. Its advertising made no mention of Artsakh’s millennial history as a cradle of Armenian civilization and the Christian faith, nor did Marriott’s promotional materials reference the Azerbaijani assault, blockade and ethnic cleansing that emptied Artsakh of its 150,000 indigenous Armenians. Marriott International has a market capitalization of over $100 billion.
The Center for Armenian Research and Analysis (CARA) broke the story on July 27, publishing research that raised alarms over the tour across multiple traditional and social media platforms. The ANCA – alongside international Armenian National Committee counterparts in Europe and around the Armenian Diaspora, coalition partners and media outlets including Asbarez, 301Arm, Zartonk, Armenia Report among others – quickly leveraged CARA’s research and led a coordinated advocacy response across six continents, leading to a reversal in less than five days.
“Marriott had no business profiting from the suffering of Artsakh’s ethnically cleansed Armenians – no right to run tours normalizing Azerbaijan’s genocide of an indigenous population,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We were encouraged by the rapid global response that got this tour taken down within five days – less than 120 hours – and will, of course, remain vigilant against all those who seek to enrich themselves through genocide.”
The tour, bookable directly through Marriott’s activities platform and eligible for Marriott Bonvoy points, offered entry to the “Karabakh zone” and a stop at Artsakh’s best-known monument, Tatik-Papik, “We Are Our Mountains.” CARA’s analysis found that the listing described the monument only as a “notable example of regional stone art and architecture,” with the word Armenian appearing nowhere in the description. “That silence is not sloppy copywriting,” the CARA report stated. “It is part of the plan.”
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Before and after: Marriott Bonvoy’s “Karabakh: Shusha-Khankendi Tour” listing, and the “Page not found” result after the international campaign forced its removal.
Activists interested in sharing their views with Marriott can call 786-321-7264 or write to marriott-activities@travelcurious.com.
Artsakh’s 150,000 displaced Armenians have been barred by Azerbaijan from a collective, protected and sustainable return home. Nineteen Armenian hostages remain in Azerbaijani custody. Azerbaijan continues to destroy Armenian churches across the region. And Azerbaijani troops continue to occupy the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.
