Forbes: ‘Pandemic sidelined, UN holds world tourism meeting in the Republic of Georgia’

Forbes writes about the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) 112th session of the executive council Georgia hosted in-person on September 15-17 and says that the selection of Georgia to hold the UN’s first in-person conference amid the pandemic was important for two reasons.

• Georgia to host UNWTO’s 112th session of executive council on September 15-17

As for the first reason the article says:

First, this was the UN’s first large scale meeting abroad. Georgia has done a good job of managing its public health matters so far, taking swift action and providing clear guidance and testing. Like many countries, however, this small country of 3.7 million is experiencing a small uptick in the number of cases.”

The second reason is it showcases Georgia as a Western-oriented country, aspiring to join NATO and the EU, and looking for a free trade agreement with the U.S. Tbilisi and Washington get along.”

The article notes that the UNWTO’s 112th Executive Session is now over and so far there are no sick diplomats and translators, noting that ‘it’s as good an example as any of how business and a public health alert can co-exist with sensible care and policies.’

Georgia has done well with its economy...They're trying to be the Ireland of the Caucasus,” says Janusz Bugajski, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. 

The article notes the good location of the country, economic reform and investor-friendly climate and says that they should remain intact and keep attracting foreign investors.

See the full article here.