Mitarbi opens after 30-year break
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, December 27
The Prime Minister of Georgia and a number of Cabinet members officially opened the tourist season at Mitarbi, a ski resort in eastern Georgia about 4 km away from the famous Bakuriani mountain resort, after a 30-year break.
Visiting the resort at the weekend, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated the Mitarbi project was being implemented through the partnership of both the state and private sectors.
The Government allocated 48 million GEL to finance the Kokhta-Mitarbi ski lift project, and New Mitarbi, a private investor, will now invest 70 million GEL to develop tourist infrastructure in Mitarbi.
"It is a brand new model that we will apply to other resorts as well. The Kokhta-Mitarbimasterplan will be finalized in the nearest future, ensuring the resort's efficient development and putting an end to spontaneous development.
“This resort is embedded in gorgeous landscapes, and I believe that these investments will create a unified Borjomi-Bakuriani and Kokhta-Mitarbi complex as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world," the Prime Minister stated.
A toboggan system was installed in Bakuriani last year, and the construction of a biathlon track will launch in 2017.
It is also planned to develop a new ski jumping ramp, an ice hockey rink, and a fully functioning complex sufficient to host large-scale international tournaments.
Kvirikashvili stated all conditions for national teams to practice all year round will be in place at the resort.
"We believe that every day all year round will be busy around here, which means many new workplaces. This resort will sustain local residents within a radius of 100 kilometers, which will come as a great relief to them," he said.
"It will be about reliving childhoods and, at the same time, setting a path to the future. This line required renovation, and it will be an important connecting line for the rural population along this route," the Prime Minister added.
