Forbes: “Georgia's Tourism Strategy is Starting to Pay Off”

"Georgia takes its tourism seriously, very seriously”, the Forbes says in its article about the country’s economy, tourism and wines.

Stressing how Georgia has jumped from 2.8 million visitors in 2011 to six million in 2016, the author of the story Stephan Rabimov said it is a big deal for the former Soviet Republic, which suddenly "feels as if it’s on every traveler’s radar”.

Welcoming the launch of new flight routes from cities around Europe, Rabimov said Georgia has always been synonymous with a culture of hospitality and warmth.

These inroads are the culmination of a significant push and investment on all fronts to develop Georgia’s tourism industry into sustainable major driver to improve its overall global economic position”, he said.

The author further noted that Georgia has all the makings of the next great tourist destination, including an impressive list of UNESCO world heritage sites, rugged alpine villages with monasteries dating back to the Middle Ages and a renowned cuisine.

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 
• Elevate tourism standards.

Noting that the country’s overall goal is to reach $6.6 billion in tourism dollars by 2025, the author said, perhaps more than any other facet of its tourism industry, Georgia’s distinct wine traditions dating back 8,000 years, may ultimately put it on the map.

• Read the full story here: www.forbes.com