Economy Minister, EU Representatives Discuss Georgian Tourism Sector Issues

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava discussed the current challenges and future prospects of the Georgian tourism industry at a meeting with Dominik Papenheim, the Thematic Coordinator for Economic Development and Market opportunities at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia; Philipp Steinheim, the representative of the German Development Agency (GiZ) and Gerhard Schaumberger, the Head of Austrian Development Agency in Georgia.

The Minister stressed the importance of the tourism sector for Georgia and its impact on economic life. She noted that the government is doing its best to help the sector get out of the crisis as soon as possible.

"We are helping the private sector to open up the local tourism market to both domestic and international travelers in a timely manner," she said.

It was noted at the meeting that the European Union will help the Georgian side to prepare the guide certification program. To this end, an action plan will be developed based on the best international experience. It was also emphasized that Georgia already has good practices of cooperation with the Austrian side in terms of training guides in Gudauri.

The Minister pointed out that the training of guides is extremely important amid the post COVID-19 challenges.

"Georgia, the safe destination - this is a message we plan to present to the world. Accordingly, every sector in our tourism industry must meet the strictest safety requirements. This also applies to guides whose certification system we are working on. Guide associations will be actively involved in this process and all this will be used to improve the quality and introduce safety rules in this field," she said.

By Ana Dumbadze