Skiing and enjoying the snow at Georgia's winter resorts will be better this year and ever before thanks to a huge effort by the Georgian Government to provide a range of new infrastructure and facilities for guests.
The new hotels, entertainment areas and other facilities will ensure Georgia's winter resorts can host increased numbers of visitors, Georgia's Prime Minister told his cabinet at today's Governmental meeting.
This weekend is the official opening of new ski lifts at Gudauri, Svaneti (Tetnuldi) and Bakuriani (Mitarbi) ski resorts.
Tomorrow, on December 23, a new ski lift named Shino will open in Gudauri. This will be the third new ski lift added to the seven already operational ski lifts at the resort.
About 20 million GEL (about $7.19 million/€6.89 million*) was invested to build the new Shino ski lift, the PM said.
A video by Gudauri (Facebook page) showing the construction of Shino ski lift in Gudauri.
The next day, on December 24, three new ski lifts will open at Tetnuldi resort in Svaneti, and this will mark the official opening of the 2016-2017 snow season in the area.
Meanwhile at Mitarbi ski resort in Bakuriani, the winter season will open on December 25 and introduce three new ski lifts.
The 2016-2017 winter season is already in full swing in Gudauri, Bakuriani (Didveli), Svaneti (Hatsvali) and Goderdzi, where the winter season opened on December 10.
A video by Mountain Resorts Development Company showing the construction of ski lifts in Svaneti.
A total of nine new ski lifts were installed at Bakuriani, Gudauri and Svaneti winter resorts this year to equip the areas with the latest infrastructure and technologies ahead of an anticipated busy winter season.
We are entering a new phase of the winter tourists season. New cable car systems are about to open within the next few days in Gudauri, Mitarbi, and Tetnuldi," said Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili told his cabinet.
At the Governmental meeting, Kvirikashvili called Georgia’s Minister of Infrastructure Zurab Alavidze to work with local authorities to prevent problems for tourists and locals at Georgia's winter resorts.
How Georgia can offer the best conditions to tourists at the country's winter resorts was one of the main topics discussed at today's Governmental meeting. Photo by the PM's press office.
The winter season often sees hindrances because of poor weather conditions. You and local authorities must spare no effort to ensure foreign tourists or local vacationers don't tun into any obstacles," the PM told Alavidze.
"It is vitally important because each tourists, local or international, will have a direct impact on the economic state of our citizens, especially households in the mountainous areas," he added.
Bad weather and closed roads because of heavy snow were the main problems that the PM asked the Infrastructure Minister to keep an eye on and resolve as necessary.
Meanwhile, a new Ski Patrol, which includes 74 trained police officers, will monitor the slopes to prevent accidents and protect the safety of tourists at Gudauri, Bakuriani, Svaneti and Goderdzi winter resorts.
*Currencies are equivalent with the latest National Bank of Georgia exchange rate.