Rebranding Georgia’s tourism image:
Domestic tourism starting June 15, int’l tourism from July 1
Georgia will resume domestic tourism starting June 15 and will receive international tourists starting July 1. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Georgia is setting the goal of becoming the first country to open its doors to foreign tourists starting July 1 after months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and to welcome international travellers with a new image - 'Georgia - Safe Destination!'.
Georgia will resume domestic tourism starting June 15 and will receive international tourists starting July 1. We will do this by creating a safe corridor on land borders with our neighbouring countries, as well as by bilateral negotiations with countries that are interesting for us in terms of tourism", said Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia when presented a tourism recovery and anti-crisis plan today.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava, who also participated in the presentation, said that Georgia will be promoted as a safe destination for international travellers, as an internationally acclaimed and successful country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the world knew us as a country with an ancient hospitality tradition, now the world will recognise us as a safe country destination. We need to use the new competitive advantage that our country has acquired in the fight against the pandemic. I mean the internationally recognised success of Georgia and the completely unique experience and skills acquired by the tourism industry in providing quarantine services. 83 hotels served over 19,000 people in quarantine during the pandemic and this is an enormous experience", Turnava said.
Economy Minister Natia Turnava speaks at the presentation of the government's plan for reopening the tourism sector. Photo via Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.
A tourism recovery and anti-crisis plan will be developed in several stages.
During stage one safety standards will be introduced at border crossings and airports. Stage one also includes:
- Support of the private sector in the introduction of standards, trainings, guidelines
- Negotiations with air carriers on the resumption of operation
- Creation of safe corridors between countries
- Integration of Georgia in the cooperation with EU members states
- International marketing campaign Georgia - Safe Destination!
During stage two (starting on June 15) it is planned to create safe tourism zones and resume domestic tourism.
Gakharia said that Tskaltubo, Gudauri, Sairme, Abastumani, Borjomi and other resorts of Georgia are discussed to be announced as safe tourism zones.
During stage three Georgia will be open for international tourism along with:
- Land and air borders will be reopened in line with a principle of a safe corridor;
- Gradual resumption of flights.
Tourism is one of the driving sources of the Georgian economy and one of the rapidly growing industries in the country.
Last year Georgia hosted almost 9.4 million visitors which generated billion in revenue.
A total of 150,000 people were employed in the field of tourism last year in Georgia.
Tourism’s share in the gross domestic product of Georgia was 11.5 per cent.
This report focuses on the opening of Georgian tourism and its recovery and the anti-crisis plan – Agenda.ge will shortly release a separate report on how the Georgian government intends to support the tourism sector.
In May several coronavirus-related restrictions will be resumed in Georgia, announced Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia today. The plan includes resuming all manufacturing, several categories of retail and wholesale stores and opening the capital city of Tbilisi and smaller towns of Rustavi, Gardabani and Marneuli.
The government of Georgia is working to develop a strategic plan for the revival of the tourism sector: the worst affected of all the country’s major economic sectors by the coronavirus pandemic in Georgia. The goal is to make Georgia one of the first countries able to open its doors to foreign tourists after months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia continues to lift coronavirus-related restrictions. Starting tomorrow construction and auto repair businesses will be able to resume operations, announced Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia today.
Georgia is striving to become the first country that opens its doors to foreign tourists after months of lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic. Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava said that the tourism sector needs special support to overcome the challenges it faces today and that "we are working on a tourism support programme" that includes anti-crisis measures as well as future incentives.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava held a presentation today on how the government is planning to help the tourism industry reopen and overcome challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ministers of tourism from several dozens of countries will gather in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi in September 2020 to discuss the future prospects of the tourism industry at a ministerial under the aegis of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The Tbilisi TV tower has been lit up with the colours of the flag of the European Union as a sign of joining the Europe Day celebrations. Today the EU and its member states celebrate ‘peace and unity in Europe’, commemorating the historic 1950 Schuman declaration. However, all of the celebrations have moved online this year amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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18 airline companies ready to resume flights
Georgia is getting ready to welcome international travellers from July 1 into a safe environment during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating so-called safe corridors. Georgian Economy Minister has discussed how to prepare each transport sector in order to be able to transport foreign guests comfortably and as safely with the heads of regulatory services of the transport sector.
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair will resume 40 per cent of its flights from July 1 on most routes, including Georgia, but at a reduced frequency. Ryanair is resuming flights on two routes in Georgia – Tbilisi-Milan and Tbilisi-Cologne. Tickets are already on sale.
The number of arrivals of international non-resident travellers to Georgia equalled 1.3 million in the first quarter of 2020, which is 17.6 per cent lower compared to the previous year, announces the National Statistics Office of Georgia.
The visits of international travellers to Georgia decreased by 94.5 per cent in April 2020 and came out to 35,497, announces the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA). Under the state of emergency declared because of the coronavirus pandemic, only Georgian citizens, truck drivers, diplomats, and humanitarian workers were able to cross the Georgian border.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava is promoting Georgia as a safe destination for international travellers, as an internationally acclaimed and successful country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgian ambassadors abroad are also involved in this process and are spreading the message of 'Georgia as a safe tourism destination' in their respective host countries.
Tourists entering Georgia may be obliged to show documents that they tested negative for Covid-19 with PCR tests in the last 72 hours before arriving in the country, said Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze.
London-based Wanderlust travel magazine has prepared a quiz, which makes it simpler for travellers to spot the difference between the US state of Georgia and the country of Georgia in the Caucasus. "Sometimes, telling them apart is as easy as (peach) pie. Other times? When you dig a bit deeper, it’s ot always as straightforward as you’d think", it said
The opening day of domestic tourism is approaching and soon Georgians will be able to seek out ways to explore the beauty of their home country.
Domestic tourism resumes today in Georgia, while the country will open its doors to international tourists on July 1. Railway travel also resumes today. Georgian Railway officials say the company is ready to ensure the safe transportation of passengers and to implement the regulations imposed by the Ministry of Health of Georgia.
Residents and tourists of Tbilisi can now enjoy a trip by air balloon in Rike Park starting July 9.
About 596,500 Georgian tourists aged 15 years or more made 675,700 visits (-37.2%) within Georgia in the second quarter of 2020.
Georgia expects 10.5 million international visitors in 2024 and $6 billion in earnings from the tourism sector in 2024, said Head of the Georgian Tourism Administration Mariam Kvrivishvili.
About 1.14 million Georgian resident visitors aged 15 years and older made on average 1.31 million trips on the territory of Georgia in the third quarter of 2020, says the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).