Georgia’s Kvirikashvili Holds Meetings in Spain
MADRID – As a part of his official visit to Spain, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met with King Felipe VI of Spain on January 18.
Tourism was the main topic discussed. Kvirikashvili spoke about Georgia's growing tourism sector and untapped potential, noting that in 2016 around 6.4 million guests visited the country and that revenue from tourism exceeded $2 billion.
After the meeting, a reception was held at the royal palace, celebrating the declaration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development. The event was attended by representatives from a number of global organizations, including the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai.
Kvirikashvili and his foreign minister, Mikheil Janelidze, later held a face-to-face meeting with the Secretary General, a the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid. Kvirikashvili and Rifai afterwards installed an plaque at the headquarters in honor of the visit..
“Georgia is a wonderful country, a country full of life and energy, the most beautiful people, happy and smiling, making you feel at home,” the UNWTO Secretary General said after the meeting.
Kvirikashvili said that under the leadership of Secretary General Rifai, the UNWTO and the tourism industry have achieved tremendous success and have become one of the most important social-economic sectors worldwide.
He also invited the delegates to taste some Georgian wine.
"With 8,000 years of wine-making traditions recognized by UNESCO, Georgia is considered to be the birthplace of wine, and we are happy to share these traditions with you," he said.
During his visit, Georgia’s Prime Minister met Florentino Perez, head of the construction company ACS Group and president of the Real Madrid football club.
Perez expressed interest in infrastructure projects across Georgia, both current and projected. He specifically discussed a closer relationship with the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Project, which when completed would help facilitate new levels of commerce between China and Europe.
By Thea Morrison