ITB Berlin getting ready for Georgian hospitality - Agenda.ge from Germany

Today Berlin is preparing for the world's largest tourist exhibition, 2023 ITB Berlin, which will start on Monday with an official opening ceremony. Georgia has a special status at the international fair, featuring as the Host Country under the theme “Infinite Hospitality” at ITB Berlin this year. The advertising messages about Georgia and the images of its wonderful sights can be easily noticed by any visitor at the Berlin airport as well as in the streets of the city.

Photo via Georgian National Tourism Administration

The world’s leading travel trade show is set to be officially opened by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili with a “brilliant and spectacular” ceremony at CityCube Berlin. The PM as the head of the Host Country of the exhibition will address the audience, the day before the start of the exhibition. The 45-minute cultural programme will involve a brief overview of Georgian history starting from the Greek myth of the Argonauts up to the present, with a show of ethno-jazz and classical music performances. The stage will also be set for electronic music producers and the Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet. 

Photo via Georgian National Tourism Administration

The first day of the exhibition will be opened with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to be attended by the Prime Minister of Georgia, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, and the Managing Director of the Messe Berlin fairgrounds.

• Georgian PM leaves for Berlin to launch ITB Berlin tourism fair with Georgia as Host Country

Between March 7-9, the Georgian National Tourism Administration, 80 domestic hospitality sector companies, the local Government representatives of the western Georgia’s Black Sea region of Adjara, Tbilisi City Hall, the United Airports of Georgia, and destination management organisations will combine all their efforts to make an “impressive presentation” about Georgia with a wide range of tourism attractions and activities at the exhibition in the German capital.

Photo: Salome Tsereteli/Agenda.ge

The political editor of agenda.ge, Salome Tsereteli, met Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili and Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration in the final preparatory process at the Georgian stand, which in a couple of days will feature more than 80 domestic hospitality sector companies, accommodation facilities and tourism representatives. They will have an opportunity to “establish partnership” with about 200 thousand potential international partners over the world. 

Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili and Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration in the final preparatory process at the Georgian stand. Photo via Georgian National Tourism Administration

Kvrivishvili said the day before the exhibition, Georgia was ready to host such an important tourist event and as she noted, on the first day of the exhibition, there would be a very impressive cultural event, which would be attended by around 3,000 most influential representatives of international tourism industry, company heads, and journalists. Georgia will have an opportunity to introduce its unique culture, cuisine and tourist products. Within the scope of the event, Georgia will receive €37 million of marketing coverage directly from ITB Berlin, which is a “great chance” for increasing the awareness of the country, Kvrivishvili emphasised. 

This fact will certainly have an effect on their [Georgian people] economic success, income growth and it will be possible to create more jobs and [...] have a stronger tourism sector that will contribute more to the economic development of the country”, Kvrivishvili said.

Photo via Georgian National Tourism Administration

She also pointed out that the Georgian stand at ITB Berlin will be exceptionally attractive and impressive with a “synthesis of Georgian antiquity and modernity”. 

We are very proud of the unique history of our country, which has shaped our identity, [...] at the same time, we wanted to represent Georgia as part of the modern world and that is why this synthesis of antiquity and modernity makes our country unique”, she said, adding she believed Georgia would be showcased on such an important international platform as a “truly memorable” host country for all the ITB Berlin visitors. 

The ITB Berlin is being held for the first time this year after the global covid pandemic, and everyone operating in the tourism sector has lacked for such a “great event”, GNTA Head Maia Omiadze said, emphasising that the exhibition would be a “point of attraction” for both international media and companies working in the tourism industry.

Photo: Salome Tsereteli/Agenda.ge

The Georgian stand will occupy around 1,000 square metres and two floors of hub27 at ITB Berlin. There will be two separate stands for presenting the country, with one for the state institutions and the other for the promotion of adventure tourism of Georgia, Omiadze said, describing further that an oven for producing enamel works would also be brought to the fairgrounds to host master classes in the crafts. Georgian wine and alphabet will also be presented with daily classes for culinary, handicraft and calligraphic culture. The Saperavi wine will be also served to visitors. Georgia as the Host Country will also be represented in Hall 4.1, arranged for the segments of Youth Travel and Accommodation and Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism.

Photo: Salome Tsereteli/Agenda.ge 

When we were thinking about the main message of Georgia to be presented at ITB Berlin and how to tell the story about the country, we decided to focus on the most natural [characteristic] of Georgians that is in our traditions and this is truly a culture of infinite hospitality”, she said, emphasising that in Georgia, visitors were not called as tourists but they were guests for the country. Based on this, we did not need to invent something new and we decided to represent it to the world from here - the heart of Europe”, she added. 

• ITB Berlin 2023: Georgia to host world’s leading tourism exhibition with “infinite hospitality”

Omiadze pointed out that Georgia was always a significant representative of European civilization and this was not only a history, the country continued to develop and occupied a special place there even today. “Overall, this is the story about Georgia, with the desire to attract visitors to the Georgian stand in ITB Berlin and then wait for international guests in our country”, she added.

Agenda.ge will keep on reporting from ITB Berlin to provide its readers with information on Georgia's hosting activities at ITB Berlin.