GEORGIA HOPES FOR BUSY TOURIST SEASON
By M. Alkhazashvili
The Messenger
April 14 2008
Georgia
Georgia expects some 1.3 million tourists to visit this year,
according to Beka Jakeli, a representative of the Department of
Tourism and Resorts.
He added that partly due to government efforts abroad to promote
Georgia as a tourist destination, largely through international
tourism exhibitions, the country is attracting more foreign visitors
every year.
Most tourists come from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine and the Baltic
states. The most popular destinations in Georgia are the ski resorts
of Bakuriani and Gudauri as well as the Black Sea coastal province
of Adjara.
"Despite Adjara bordering Turkey, Turkish tourists are still very
much interested in the region," the newspaper 24 Saati quoted Jakeli
as saying.
Attracting tourists from elsewhere in the South Caucasus is a key
priority of the Adjaran Department of Tourism and Resorts this year,
and next month a new television commercial campaign is due start in
Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Television commercials for Georgia’s resorts have been broadcast in
Armenia since 2005; they were first broadcast in Azerbaijan last year,
according to Vazha Diasamidze, deputy chair of the Adjaran Department
of Tourism and Resorts.
Diasamidze also said television advertisements in Armenia have helped
contribute to a steady increase of Armenian tourists in the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
