Zurab Pololikashvili: Tourism Will Restore the Situation in these Tough Times

“I think, tourism will be the sector that will be reinstated and we will overcome these tough times that we face today,” says Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization.

“The situation is very harsh but not hopeless. We are assessing each region very carefully and we have communications with the leaders of those regions. On top of this, we have a very optimistic outlook that tourism will be the sector which will reinstate and help overcome the situation which we face nowadays. Currently, I’m in Madrid. As you know, Spain is one of the worst-hit countries because of coronavirus. The hospitals are not able to handle the incoming sick and this worsens the situation, although everything is happening to handle the state.”   

Also, as the Secretary-General stated, UNWTO has planned and organized special committees in order to counter the shocks from the virus, as well as to plan short-term and long-term crisis strategies. 

On top of this, the Secretary-general commented about the progress made by the Georgian government to prevent the spread of the virus.

“The first steps which will follow the post-crisis period will be the local tourism. Regional travels within the country will help overcome the mental barrier. I was watching closely the steps which the Georgian government took. And these steps were very effective, the infected rate in Georgia is quite low. On Georgian tourism, first of all, I think that the population must abide to the guidelines presented by the government and the World Health Organization.

"Very soon, Georgia might become one of the leading countries where tourists will start to travel. It’s possible that the upcoming UNWTO summit in Tbilisi will be historical,” said Pololikashvili. 

By B. Aleksishvili