Georgian National Tourism Administration & National Geographic Initiate Partnership

A new cooperation between the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) and the world-renowned travel magazine National Geographic was announced today. The main feature of the partnership is intensive coverage of Georgia by the editorial team of National Geographic running from May 14 – October 14. As the period covers summer and autumn, the coverage aims at the months in which Georgia is visited most by foreign tourists.

National Geographic’s Senior VP for Corporate Partnerships, Annabelle Canwell, complemented Georgia for its efforts to attract international tourism and highlighted the beautiful gems which National Geographic will attempt to cover in an authentic and responsible way. “Georgia was selected among the 10 best places to visit in 2018 by our editorial team and we hope that 130 years of experience will generate the desired push to spur tourism in Georgia. Our journalists explore and discover hidden spots around the world to write stories about ancient cultures and other fascinating historical facts. We aim to make travel an authentic and responsible endeavor,” she noted.

When GEORGIA TODAY asked how National Geographic aims to promote Georgia, Canwell explained that they will launch a Digital Hub on their website over the next months focusing merely on Georgia and its various travel destinations. Travel journalists and freelance contributors from the London office as well as directly from Georgia will publish compelling stories to highlight not only known spots, such as Batumi and Kazbegi, but also hidden places, which still need to be discovered by tourists. This close cooperation between National Geographic and the GNTA stems from a close working relationship for already 2-3 years.

“We have worked with various global Internet platforms together over the past years to promote the country in a unique and compelling way,” Giorgi Chogovadze, Head of the GNTA, explains. “National Geographic joins a large group of partners, such as TripAdvisor, LonelyPlanet, and Expedia, with which we have worked for years to promote Georgia abroad. We continue to work with an international marketing campaign and organization to promote the beauty of our country,” he added.

By Benjamin Music

Photo: National Geographic