Head of Tourism Administration: 2016 Was a Success for Georgia
Giorgi Chogovadze, Head of Georgia’s National Tourism Administration (GNTA) in the Ministry of Economy, presented the summarizing report of 2016 on February 1, and assessed 2016 as a success for Georgia.
“For the first time, Georgia reached two significant milestones: The number of international travelers exceeded 6 million, and the international revenues from tourism amounted to more than $ 2 billion,” Chogovadze claimed.
The Head of the GNTA presented official statistics, according to which, 6,350,825 international visitors arrived in Georgia last year, which is 449,731 more than in 2015.
“The number of tourists visiting the country in 2016 has increased by 7.6 percent from last year,” said Chogovadze, adding that the GNTA has held many events for tourism promotion, including summer and winter campaigns in many foreign countries.
“During 2016, Georgia hosted 600 international media representatives who prepared video shows, documentaries, articles, and blogs about Georgia, which increased awareness about our country,” Cholovadze said.
He also highlighted that in 2016, Georgia hosted the first International Wine Conference, which was conducted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“This was the first such conference held in Georgia. More than 250 guests attended the event, including the UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai,” he added.
“The government is doing its best to increase the number of tourists,” said Deputy Economy Minister, Ketevan Bochorishvili.
“Our goal for 2025 is to get 11 million international visitors. Consequently, we have annual action plans to achieve this goal," she said, noting that every single tourist means additional income for Georgian families.
The Deputy Minister also highlighted two projects of the state program called 'Produce in Georgia': ‘Host in Georgia’, which promotes the development of the hotel business, and ‘Film in Georgia’, which promotes the country’s film industry and makes Georgia more attractive for filmmakers.
The presentation of the 2016 Tourism Report was attended by around 200 representatives of the media, airline and tourism companies, and hotels.
Thea Morrison