UN official: “Georgians are champions in wine tourism”

An official from the United Nations (UN) tourism promotion agency is positively assessing the efforts made to develop the country’s tourism potential.

I am glad to see how effectively the Government of Georgia has been working to turn Georgia into a country that offers diverse tourism opportunities,” said Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) – a UN agency responsible for promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

Rifai was among the honourable guests who visited Georgia to attend and participate in the first Global Conference on Wine Tourism, organised by the UNWTO in collaboration with the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA).

More than 250 guests from 42 countries took part in the conference, which was held in Georgia’s famous Kakheti wine region on September 7-9.

The UN official takes wine from a qvevri, a large clay Georgian vessel where Georgian wine is made. He uses a long stick with a scoop to collect the wine from inside the qvevri. Photo by the GNTA.   

While speaking at the event Rifai said Georgia and Georgians were the champions and leaders in wine tourism.

I am gladly welcoming you from Kakheti – a place where 65 percent of Georgia’s vineyards are blossoming and can be easily be called the cradle of wine.

When we are talking about wine we should realise it was born 8,000 years ago in this very place. Every time you hold a bottle of wine, think about the whole process – about the vineyards, grapes and the way wine gets from the vineyards to your table,” Rafai said.

The UN official drinks wine from a clay bowl in the traditional Vakhtanguri stile of drinking, when two people cross arms and drink the toast arm-in-arm. Photo by the GNTA. 

The UNWTO Secretary General said Georgia was a "must-see place for every winemaker”.

This would be a very educational visit as everyone will be able to learn about wine history and at the same time experience great pleasure and joy of life by drinking Georgian wine,” he added.

Georgia’s Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili said these types of conferences helped raise awareness of Georgia as a country famous for its wine.

Tourism plays an important part in Georgia’s economy. In 2015 Georgia hit a record as it hosted about six million international visitors. This record will is set to be broken again [this year] and more people will travel to Georgia for sure,” Kumsishvili said.

He added a tourism development strategy was in place that outlined ways to further develop this field until 2025.