Popular American business magazine Forbes has dedicated an article to Georgia, which reads that Georgia takes its tourism very seriously.

"Clearly having jumped from 2.8 million visitors in 2011 to six million in 2016 is a big deal in this former Soviet Republic situated between Europe, Russia and the Middle East," the article says, adding new flight routes have launched from cities around Europe and this year Georgia made Conde Nast Traveler’s list of hottest upcoming wine destinations.

The article reads that in 2015, the Georgian government partnered with the World Bank to develop a cohesive strategy to attract high-value tourists from around the globe.

"Georgia has always been synonymous with a culture of hospitality and warmth, visitors are said to be “gifts from God," the magazine says.

"Georgia has all the makings of the next great tourist destination -- an impressive list of UNESCO world heritage sites, rugged alpine villages with monasteries dating back to the Middle Ages and a renowned cuisine," the article reads.

It also reads that Georgia has distinct wine traditions dating back 8,000 years, picturesque hill towns reminiscent of Italy’s Tuscany and hundreds of indigenous grape varieties.

"At a recent travel forum the Georgian government laid out its ambitious goals for the tourism industry:  Build 25 new hotels in next two years, improve infrastructure, work with locals to develop guest houses along the Black Sea coast and elevate tourism standards. The country’s overall goal is to reach $6.6 billion in tourism dollars by 2025," Forbes says.

By Thea Morrison

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