Development of mountain resorts - top priority
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, April 7
Georgia’s Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, stated at a cabinet meeting that the development of mountain resorts is one of the top priorities of the government.
“Mountain resorts’ general planning processes, mountain guides training, the creation of ski schools and the crawling schedule of winter holidays are targeted to ensure that, first of all, the Georgian population is the consumer of our mountainous resorts, and then international tourists,” the PM stated on Thursday.
Kvirikashvili also mentioned the importance of the 3rd Euro-Asian Mountain Resorts Conference, which is being held in Tbilisi on April 4-7.
The event was organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Georgia and the Georgian Mountain Resorts Development Company under the Ministry of Economy of Georgia.
“This is a historic event for Georgia, and the government will continue to make investments in such directions,” the PM said.
Under the title “Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Mountain Tourism Development” around 300 international experts and delegates from over 40 countries are discussing current and future challenges, illustrate success stories and are creating once again a platform for exchange of innovative initiatives.
The conference was opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia on April 5. The Secretary General of the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, and the Minister of Economics, Giorgi Gakharia, also welcomed the participants with their speeches.
The Conference participants focused on such issues as current environmental, structural and market oriented challenges in mountain destinations and exploring the opportunities to maximize the economic potential and social change for the local communities through a sustainable mountain tourism development and management.
The overall goal of the conference is to assist Georgia to expand the country’s ski tourism market and ensure its steady, sustainable growth.
Moreover, Kvirikashvili awarded Taleb Rifai with an Order of Honor, for his contribution to the development of global tourism.
