Spotlight on Georgia’s Protected Areas at Berlin’s top travel expo
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What are some of the most special places to visit in Georgia?
In winter some might say the best places are the country’s ski resorts, or in summer the Black Sea town of Batumi is a place not to miss. But in all seasons of the year Georgia’s protected areas are a magical place to visit offering hiking, camping, waterfalls and wildlife for visitors to enjoy.
The uniqueness of Georgia’s protected areas and the country’s eco-tourism potential is being shared to the world at a top travel exhibition in Germany’s capital Berlin.
The Georgian stall at the ITB Berlin exhibition provided a whole range of information about some of the country’s most special areas, including national parks in Lagodekhi, Vashlovani and Javakheti and the animals that call these areas home.
Lake Bashla Khel in the Lagodekhi Protected Areas in Georgia's east. Photo by Paata Vardanashvili/Lagodekhi Protected Areas.
Promoted as "the world's leading travel and trade show" by its organisers, the ITB Berlin exhibition launched on March 9 and was expected to involve tens of thousands of exhibitors from nearly 200 countries.
The annual display was staged in a sprawling complex of 160,000 m2 in central Berlin.
This exhibition features a separate space for eco- and adventure tourism stalls and our stand is presented in this space. I believe Georgia and the entire South Caucasus has great potential for developing ecotourism," said Lasha Moistsrapishvili, chairman of the Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia which hosted the Georgia stall.
Georgia’s protected areas were fast becoming an attractive place to visit for locals and international guests alike.
Official figures from 2015 showed 181,329 international guests visited Georgia's protected areas, while statistics over recent years showed a gradual increase in eco-tourists travelling to the country.
The Agency’s participation in the Berlin exhibition was supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an international non-governmental organisation focusing on environmental issues and biodiversity.
The ITB Berlin exhibition founded in 1966 as a small-scale trade show but has since grown to a global event which hosted 188,000 visitors in 2015, including private and trade partners.
This year's ITB Berlin expo will run until March 13.
See information on Georgia's protected areas on the Agency's official website here.
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