Bakuriani Summer Season Opens
The summer season has officially opened in Bakuriani. The Bakuriani resort, located south of Borjomi in the center of the country and less than a three-hour drive from Tbilisi, is best known for its winter ski offerings, but is also developing itself as a summer resort.
During the summer, the ski lifts will run daily from 11 am to 6 pm, giving visitors access to mountain views and hiking trails. There is a tourist information center located in Bakuriani’s move theater where visitors can get personalized, detailed information on activities in the area, weather, and transportation schedules.
"To develop and promote mountain resorts it is necessary to make them attractive during all four seasons. For this reason, there is a bike park and a 29-kilometer-long bike trail, suitable for both professionals and amateurs,” said a representative of the Mountain Resorts Development Company. The company is a part of Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and manages the country’s mountain resorts.
The first mountain sled (toboggan) track in the South Caucasus opened in 2016 on the Didveli slope and is a major draw for Bakuriani visitors. Other summer activities include hiking, mountain biking, riding ATVs, horseback riding, and a kids’ park at Didveli.
From Bakuriani there are many potential day trips which provide opportunities for the small town’s off-season growth, and the development of tourism linkages in the region. The mountains Kokhta and Sakvelo can be climbed, and there are hikes to Tabatskura Lake, the monastery complex of Timotesubani (XI century), mineral springs in Mitabari, and the Jvari hot springs. The Borjomi Gorge is also well suited for paragliding, rafting, off-roading, hunting, and trout fishing.
Other Georgian ski resorts also have big plans for summer tourism. Gudauri, another of the country’s top winter resorts, opened its 2017 summer season on July 16. In Svaneti, the new Hatsvali and Tetnuldi resorts operate during the summer. The Goderdzi resort in Adjara, which opened in 2015, was envisioned as a step in helping make Adjara an attractive destination in the winter in addition to its well known Black Sea coast summer charm – the resort will also operate this summer. At all of the Georgian resorts, ski lift tickets are offered at a discounted price for the summer season.
The Mountain Resorts Development Agency reported that in the 2017-2018 mountain ski season, there were 25% more visitors to the mountain resorts in Gudauri, Bakuriani, Svaneti and Goderdzi than in the 2016-2017 season. In mountain resorts, the number of local and international tourists has increased 491% since the 2011-2012 season. Goderdzi is the most popular resort, with 34,5997 visitors in 2017-2018 – a 25% increase on the previous year. Movies in 4k https://4k-hd.club/movies/ i download and watch online Ultra HD Dvd movies only here. In comparison, Bakuriani had a 15% increase in visitor traffic from the 2016-2017 season, reaching 13,2704 in the 2017/2018 season. Looking further at tourism development, Adjara Group Hospitality plans to open a 100-room Rooms Hotel this summer in Kokhta-Mitarbi, the mountain resort near Bakuriani that opened during the 2015-2016 season.
By Samantha Guthrie