Marriott Bonvoy has removed its tourism package to ethnically cleansed, Azerbaijani-occupied Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) after a five-day international campaign led by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and Armenian diaspora organizations across six continents, following a July 27 investigation by the Center for Armenian Research and Analysis (CARA) that first exposed the tour.
The 14-hour package, bookable directly through Marriott’s activities platform and eligible for Marriott Bonvoy points, offered travelers a guided tour across Artsakh, including the Azerbaijani-occupied cities of Shushi and Stepanakert. Marriott’s promotional materials made no mention of Artsakh’s millennial history as a cradle of Armenian civilization and the Christian faith, nor did the listing reference Azerbaijan’s assault, blockade, and ethnic cleansing that emptied Artsakh of its 150,000 indigenous Armenians in September 2023.
CARA’s investigation, published on Asbarez, found that the tour listing referred to the region as the “Karabakh zone” and described Artsakh’s most recognized monument, the Tatik-Papik statue known as “We Are Our Mountains,” only as a “notable example of regional stone art and architecture.” The word Armenian appeared nowhere in the description. “That silence is not sloppy copywriting,” the CARA report stated. “It is part of the plan.”
Within hours of CARA’s exposé, the ANCA and its counterparts in Europe, South America, Australia, and across the Armenian diaspora launched a coordinated advocacy response. Armenian media outlets around the world amplified the campaign across traditional and social media platforms. Marriott, which has a market capitalization of over $100 billion, reversed course in under 120 hours.
“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 150,000 Armenians displaced from Artsakh remain barred by Azerbaijan from any collective, protected, and sustainable return to their homeland. Azerbaijan continues to destroy Armenian churches and cultural heritage across the region, and Azerbaijani forces continue to occupy sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Nineteen Armenian hostages remain unjustly held in Azerbaijani custody, including former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, whose lawyer this week filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights appealing his 20-year prison sentence.
Activists wishing to share their views with Marriott can call 786-321-7264 or write to marriott-activities@travelcurious.com.
