Austrian travel trade magazine promotes Georgia’s tourism potential

The Georgian National Tourism Administration on Tuesday said Tourist Austria International, an Austrian travel trade magazine, had promoted Georgia’s tourism potential, wine, cuisine, sea, winter and spa resorts, tourist products and diversity of the country.

The Administration said an article on the website noted Georgia’s status as the Host Country of last year’s ITB Berlin, a major international tourism trade fair, and emphasised increased flights between Georgia and Austria.

In his comments, Nika Magradze, the Counsellor at the Georgian Embassy, noted the country had been granted the European Union membership candidate status in December, and added Austrian Airlines, the flag carrier airline of the country, would launch direct regular flights from May, linking Vienna and the Georgian capital city three times a week.

The official added Austria was considered a “new tourist target country” for Georgia.

The article also emphasised Georgia’s winemaking history and development of domestic tourism as the “main sources” of income for the country’s economy, and noted a “record-high” nine million international visitors had visited Georgia before the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number reaching 6.17 million last year.

The article noted the country’s tourism revenue had reached €4.47 billion last year - a 26 percent increase over the pre-pandemic levels, with Georgian airports serving 6.01 million passengers in a 15.4 percent increase compared to 2019.

The piece also described UNESCO World Heritage Sites and protected areas in Georgia, the GNTA added.