Georgia participates in UNWTO Executive Council as member
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili at the 116th Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Photo: Ministry of Economy
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Georgia is participating at the 116th Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, which is taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as a member of the Council for the first time, the Ministry of Economy of Georgia announced on Tuesday.
The two-day event will see 180 participants from different countries attending the gathering to discuss the principal topic of helping the sector rebound after the pandemic.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili said joining the session as a member state is "very important".
This is an important platform to strengthen the position of our country. It is noteworthy that the event is taking place in Saudi Arabia, which is an exceptionally important tourist country for Georgia," Kvrivishvili said.
Kvrivishvili also held meetings with officials from Flynas, Flydeal and Saudia Airline on Monday, and discussed Georgia’s place as an “attractive and safe country” for visitors.
Georgia hosted 359,238 international travellers in May, posting a 49.7 percent recovery from the pre-pandemic 2019 figure and an increase of 228.5 percent year-on-year, the Georgian National Tourism Administration announced on Monday.
Georgia has received $582 million from international tourist visits between January-April, which is 463.1 percent more compared to the same period of last year, the Georgian National Tourism Administration has said.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili on Tuesday said tourism authorities expected an “unprecedented high” number of visitors from Saudi Arabia in the coming summer tourist season in Georgia due to recently inked airline deals.
Georgia has been elected to the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for four years, announces the Ministry of Economy of Georgia. The election was held today at the 66th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe in Athens, Greece.
A “growing and positive” dynamics of tourism recovery in Georgia’s Black Sea region of Adjara was one of the topics discussed by Tornike Rizhvadze, the Head of the regional Government, at a Supreme Council meeting on Tuesday.