Adjara Tourism Department Head: Ukrainian citizens to stay in hotels until provision of “alternative accommodation”

Ukrainian citizens stranded in Georgia’s Black Sea city of Batumi due to ongoing hostilities in their country will be able to stay in hotels until “alternative accommodation” is provided for them, Adjara Tourism Department Head Tinatin Zoidze told the Georgian Public Broadcaster on Saturday. 

The Government official’s statement came in response to the Georgian Public Defender’s call for authorities to “properly inform” Ukrainian nationals on their accommodation status, after media reports said they had been warned to vacate the spaces in the coming days, and were facing the risk of being left without accommodation. 

Zoidze denied the reports on “spontaneous eviction,” and pledged to ensure provision of alternative spaces before the affected people leave the hotels they are staying in.  

• Georgia continues assistance to over 28,000 Ukrainians affected by war - PM

She noted the process of ensuring accommodation had already begun, saying some citizens of Ukraine would be transferred from hotels to housing in the Black Sea resort towns of Gonio and Chakvi, as well as the city of Batumi itself. 

The official also said if the private sector proved unable to provide accommodation, the state body would step in with alternative housing offers. 

The demand is very high and we can not talk about long-term plans, because no one knows how long the war in Ukraine will last and what realities and problems we will face,” Zoidze said. 

The statement of the Public Defender, released earlier today, also noted there was no detailed information regarding the increased funding for social support for Ukrainians, pointing out the absence of any normative decisions or official announcements from Government bodies. 

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced on Thursday at the International Donors’ Conference for Ukraine in Poland that his Government was allocating an additional $7 million by the end of 2022 in support of Ukrainian citizens in Georgia, saying the country would continue to provide assistance to more than 28,000 Ukrainian nationals affected by the war.