Georgia’s gastronomy, innovation, promotion make country “shine” - UNWTO head
Georgian Zurab Pololikashvili was re-elected Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation for four years in 2021.Photo: Zurab Pololikashvili’s Twitter
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Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation, on Thursday said Georgia's gastronomy, innovation and promotion strategies were helping make it “shine” across the world.
Pololikashvili made the remark at the ongoing Fitur 2023 international tourism fair in Spain, where he met Mariam Kvrivishvili, the Deputy Minister of Economy of Georgia, and Maia Omiadze, the Head of the country’s National Tourism Administration.
Always proud to visit the stand of Georgia, my home country, at @fitur_madrid.
— Zurab Pololikashvili (@pololikashvili) January 19, 2023
Its gastronomy, innovation and promotion strategies make ???????? shine across the world.
Dear Deputy Minister, Mariam Kvrivishvili, your contribution to this has been essential. pic.twitter.com/5bRSuom1hS
The UNWTO official praised Kvrivishvili’s personal contribution to the promotion of the country’s tourism potential in a social media post following the meeting where the two officials introduced the country’s strategy and action plan for the development of its tourism sector.
Alongside the Deputy Minister and GNTA Head, the Georgian representation at the event - which brings together thousands of companies from over 130 countries - includes officials from the Tourism and Resorts Department of Georgia’s western region of Adjara, the Destination Management Organisation of the western Imereti region and Tbilisi City Hall.
Representatives of eight domestic tourism companies are also at the fair - running between Wednesday and Sunday and attended by more than 100,000 visitors - to promote Georgia as a visitor destination.
Georgia’s tourism potential is promoted by officials and companies from the country at the ongoing Fitur 2023 international tourism trade fair in Spain, an event bringing together thousands of companies from over 130 countries.
Georgia received $2,854,529,093 from international tourism between January and October of this year, with the figure surpassing pre-pandemic numbers from 2019 and hitting record-high markers this year, the Georgian national tourism administration announced on Thursday.
Air Moldova has made its inaugural flight to Georgia, carrying 140 passengers from Chișinău to Tbilisi, TAV Georgia, the operator of Tbilisi and Batumi international airports, said on Monday.
Georgia’s revenues from tourism reached $522,945,221 in August, a 26.7 percent increase from the same month of the pre-pandemic 2019 and a 163.1 percent increase over August 2021, the country’s tourism administration said on Friday.
Georgia received $3.5 billion from international tourist visits in 2022, a figure that represented a 182.5 percent increase compared to 2021, the National Tourism Administration said on Monday.