Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Head of "North Caucasus Resorts" talks about tourism in Georgia

10.12.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News). Northern Caucasus Resorts (NCR) is a Russian company which is developing world-class resorts under a project of development of tourism cluster in the South of Russia, including  Lagonaki (Krasnodar Region, Adygeуa), Arkhyz (Karachay-Cherkessia), Elbrus-Bezengi (Kabardino-Balkaria), Mamison (North Ossetia-Alania), Matlas (Dagestan), Tsori and Armkhi (Ingushetia),  beach resorts on the coast of the Caspian Sea (Dagestan). Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC "North Caucasus Resorts” Ahmed Bilalov was interviewed by radio Commersant.

- When the North Caucasus resorts will receive the first tourists and on what segment are they calculated?

- Tourism Cluster Project which started in the south of Russia is extensive and covers all regions of the Russian Caucasus – from the Black Sea to the Caspian. According to the project, by 2020 there will be over 1 000 km long mountain - ski slopes, cableway meant for 20 people, hotels and apartments meant for 100 thousand rooms. The people of various taste and wallet will be able to rest here.

Our resorts are meant both for foreign and domestic customers. Research has shown that the great majority of Russians prefer to holiday at home, if the price are available.

Caucasia is geographically a very convenient place: it is available both for  tourists from  Europe and from  Asian and Arab countries.

Our resorts will work at  full capacity by 2019-2020, but even now rope-railways become operational,   the first hotels construction of 3 - 5 star category is completed  in  the Karachay - Cherkessia area.

An active work is underway in North Ossetia, where the resort Mamisoni will be located, in Ingushetia the resorts Tsori and Armkhi, as well as resorts in Adighea and Krasnodar,  works will be launched in the near future in Kabardino - Balkaria and Dagestan, where there will be not only a ski resort, but the beach  along the entire Caspian coast.

- Recently, tourism has been actively developing in Georgia. How would you assess the progress of our country in this regard and the new government's position that tourism should not be a priority sector for the economy? Can our resorts compete with resorts of  the North Caucasus?

- In general, the Caucasus is a very attractive place for tourism. Our project is largely dictated by the social - economic motives. Tourism has become one of the most effective tools in the fight against poverty in many regions of the world. This industry contributes to rapid social - economic development of the depressed regions at the expense of redistribution of funds from developed areas, job creation and through development of  tourism-related industries. Tourism contributes to the development of key sectors such as transport, hotel and restaurant business, trade, construction, manufacturing of popular consumer products and many others. At the same time infrastructure development is underway.

As far as I know, the flow of tourists to Georgia is rapidly  increasing, this means that the tourist trend is in demand.

- What do you know about Georgia as a tourist  country and if you have recently visited Georgia? What might attract tourists in Georgia most of all?

- I have not been in Georgia for a long time, but I hear very good comments from my friends. They praise hotels, restaurants, service, food, wine and hospitality of the locals. They also mention a good information provision with brochures and maps in the airport as well as the sighs on the streets, electronic guides ... By the way, prices are praised as well.

- Can the Georgian real estate market interest Russian developers in the tourist zones of Batumi and Gudauri?

- Business goes there where it is convenient. For example, in our project investors, along with  guaranteed natural conditions, are supplied with utilities and transport infrastructure, construction areas , comfortable administration of  investment projects, "single window" system, preferential tax terms, state guarantees  of capital raising, a joint marketing in our face as a managing company.

Of course, this is very attractive for business, especially when such large-scale projects are not so frequent in the world. So, once again I say, the main criterion for business is a commercial effectiveness of investments.

© HTN (Hvino Tour News)

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