Washington Post: On the Black Sea, Georgia Rebrands as Holiday Haven from Pandemic
"On the Black Sea, Georgia rebrands as a holiday haven from the pandemic," the Washington Post publishes article under this title.
The author of the article, Isabelle Khurshudyan, describes Georgia as a safe country for tourism amid coronavirus pandemic.
“Put aside the ancient vineyards, the ski resorts and the Black Sea beaches. The country of Georgia has a new tourism pitch: a place to take a break from the pandemic. Georgia’s response to the new coronavirus is a relative success story. Now it wants to parlay that into a holiday draw,” the article reads.
The author of the article points out that Georgia is among the first wave of countries cautiously restarting their tourism industries even as coronavirus concerns linger for both potential travelers and destinations.
The article quotes the Minister of Economy, Natia Turnava, saying: “When Georgia reopens its borders on July 1, it won’t be for everyone. It is instead looking to identify what it calls peer countries - those in “a more or less similar epidemiological situation.”
The article notes that Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia enlisted the country’s ambassadors to be the chief marketers to their host countries, pitching what he is calling a “safe corridor” with Georgia to establish direct flights between them. Israel, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece and the Baltic states are expected to be among the first countries on Georgia’s list.
“It is unclear when Georgia will permit travelers from the United States, which has the most confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in the world. Tourists from some countries may be required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test in advance, while those from another may not be, Turnava said”, reads the article.
“For a country that made headlines for its domestic turmoil in the past, its handling of the coronavirus revealed a surprising public trust in the government,” the author of the article concludes.
By Ana Dumbadze
Author: Isabelle Khurshudyan
Source: Washington Post
Read the full article here
Image: Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images