GOOD PROSPECTS FOR TOURISM IN GEORGIA
By M. Alkhazashvili

The Messenger, Georgia
Aug. 24, 2006

The Saakashvili administration has declared tourism to be a priority
sector for economic development. To entice in more Western tourists,
the government has shelled out some money to promote beautiful
Georgia with TV ads on CNN and EuroNews. Officials are optimistic
that visitors will come in near-droves-during the Soviet era, Georgia
(including Sokhumi) was a major domestic tourism draw. Georgia’s got
the right stuff, the tourism department believes; they just need to
get the word out there.

Current tourism figures are already encouraging. In 2005, more than
USD 250 million was spent in the country by foreign tourists-about
USD 500 from each visitor. This year, Georgia is expecting 200 000
tourists more than last year, which should bring in around USD 350
million in 2006.

The rumbling beginnings of a tourist boom are easy to see. Most
investment into the country is being poured into tourist sites.

Kazakhstani investors, for instance, recently purchased 22 hotels in
Adjara province, as well as in Gudauri and Likani (Borjomi). Turkish
investors are getting in on the action, too, mostly buying up plots
of land to construct small hotels.

The Black Sea coast has been brimming with Armenians and Azerbaijanis
this summer, having experienced its largest number of seaside
holidaymakers in years. According to the tourism department, during
the first seven months of this year tourist numbers are up 38% over
the same period in 2005.

The state has taken some productive steps to support the developing
tourist industry. Tour agencies bringing in foreign visitors are
exempt from VAT, and entry visas have been simplified to nothing
more than a costless stamp at the airport or border for visitors
from most countries. This has decreased the average cost of a visit
to Georgia by an estimated 15-18 percent, and the country is already
reaping benefits.

Most tourists to Georgia come from neighboring Armenia, where the
landlocked denizens are keen on playing in the pebbles of the Adjaran
coastline. Last year, Batumi and Kobuleti (the premier destinations
in Adjara) received 21 000 Armenian tourists. Georgia’s ambassador
to Armenia, HE Revaz Gachechiladze, suggested that the number could
triple this year.

Georgia is regaining its reputation as a tourist destination.

However, more can be done to lure away free-spending Westerns from
nearby Turkey, which tends to attract tourists with a larger budget.

Georgia has the benefit of a diverse and alluring landscape, from
beaches to ski slopes. European tourists are drawn to northern
Georgia’s untamed mountainous regions, although visits are hampered
by a lack of infrastructure. Still, with well-considered policies and
careful development, Georgia could well be playing host to travelers
all through the year.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress