Thursday, January 29, 2015

E-visa facility launching in Georgia

29.01.2015. In a move which will give a major boost to the tourism sector, the Georgian Government will launch the electronic visa (e-visa) facility from February, 2015, announced the Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

This initiative is part of the strategy which the Government’s economic team set in order to maintain the long-term stability of the GEL. The measures are about encouraging export, tourism and direct foreign investments’ (FDI) inflow in Georgia.

We want to increase the number of tourists visiting our country. For this purpose electronic visas will be launched in Georgia. This will simplify the procedures of visiting Georgia for the tourists,” Garibashvili said.

Meanwhile, the Government is working on the investment project ideas which should be implemented in different regions of Georgia.

"We have already created a very attractive offer for the investors. This offer includes creating the favorable conditions for the investors in different regions of Georgia. The projects that are planned to be implemented are about building the hydro power stations, developing and promoting the local production, etc. Now we are in the process of establishing communication with the businessmen, who should be interested in investing in the regions. We will do our best to encourage the private business,” Garibashvili said.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

New program to help Georgian tourism micro-entrepreneurs

24.01.2015. A large-scale project will soon be implemented in two of Georgian regions to help poor communities and micro-entrepreneurs in tourism sector. The World Bank, as the administrator of grant funds provided by the government of Japan through the Japan Social Development Fund, and Biological Farming Association Elkana have signed today a Grant Agreement on a 2.5 million USD project - Empowering Poor Communities and Micro-entrepreneurs in Georgia Tourism Sector.

The agreement was signed by World Bank Acting Regional Director for the South Caucasus, Joseph Melitauri, and Director of Elkana, Mariam Jorjadze. This three year project will be implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, the Municipal Development Fund, and the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia.

The overall objective of the project is to generate employment and increase household income of poor and vulnerable communities in the Kakheti and Imereti regions, where there are ongoing World Bank-financed regional development projects to support tourism development and urban regeneration. The Japanese funding will now support communities to start/grow small and micro enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism and organic food processing sectors and implement small community works in vicinity of cultural heritage sites.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

"The New York Times": A wine revival at the foot of the Caucasus

12.01.2015. (Hvino News). The New York Times in its Travel section has published "52 Places to Go in 2015", including Georgia at 25th place, and specially mentioning several wineries and other wine-related destinations:
Georgia has all the makings of the next great wine destination: the world’s longest-running unbroken wine tradition (underground fermentation in clay vessels), hundreds of indigenous grape varieties, stunning landscapes and a band of vintners espousing natural methods. Its output has all become easier to sample, too, thanks to wine bars in the capital, Tbilisi (Konka, Vino Underground), a marked wine trail in Kakheti and wineries (Pheasant’s Tears, Iago’s Winery, Winery Khareba) serving traditional and modern Georgian cuisine. Those varietals will be feted this year at four major events: the New Wine Festival, Wine City Tbilisi at Tbilisifest, Telavino and the Tbilisi Cheese Festival...
The piece on Georgia in The New York Times is authored by Robyn Eckhardt, a freelance food writer based in Penang, China.

© Hvino News

    Georgian Wine Catalogue      
 To add this Search Box to your website,  click  here. Many designs are available.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

"The Telegraph" on Georgian wine-making

09.01.2015. Britain's The Telegraph has named Georgia as one of the most extraordinary destinations in the world.

“You might not have heard of Kakheti but you’re almost guaranteed to have enjoyed its most famous invention: wine. The Georgians have been making wine for 8,000 years and there’s recently been a revived interest in traditional wine-making techniques, with some of the country’s best wines now appearing on the wine lists at The Fat Duck, Hibiscus and Nobu.

Highlights of Kakheti include the 3,000 year old Uplistiske Rock City with its industrial-scale wine presses; the Ikalto Monastery where Orthodox priests kept meticulous viticulture records; fortified sacramental wine cellars larger than the churches they supplied; and the vineyards and wine cellars of Lagvinari, Georgia’s premier wine producer”, – the The Telegraph article says.

Source

    Georgian Wine Catalogue      
 To add this Search Box to your website,  click  here. Many designs are available.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Electronic visa applications available from February 1

09.01.2015. Head of the National Tourism Administration George Chogovadze has announced that the Georgian government will present an online form for visa applications on February 1. According to Chogovadze, in 2014 Georgia was visited by 5,493,492 international travelers, 1.9 percent more than in the previous year but falling below predicted numbers.

Chogovadze stated that a number of factors resulted in fewer visitors than experts forecasted. “First of all, it is the current situation in the region, including the events that unfolded between Russia and Ukraine. However, the tightening of visa regulations may also have affected the number of tourists. In the near future, the Government will introduce an electronic visa application form which will simplify the procedure for obtaining Georgian visas for tourists,” said Chogovadze, further noting that the electronic visa application form is expected to be available from February 1.

Source

    Georgian Wine Catalogue      
 To add this Search Box to your website,  click  here. Many designs are available.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

More than 5.4 million visitors embrace Georgia this year

07.01.2015. Georgia is fast becoming a tourism destination by guests from all over the globe, with latest figures revealing more than a 5.4 million visitors spent time in Georgia this year.

Latest figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed a boost in 2014 year when 5, 493, 492 people crossed Georgian borders. To compare this date the same time period of 2013, the number of visitors to Georgia in 2014 increased by 1.9 percent.

While, number of tourists experienced Georgia’s unique culture, traditions and landscape increased this year and reached 2, 218 050 people complete period of this year. When compared to the same time period of 2013, the number of tourists traveled in Georgia in 2014 increased by 7.4 percent.

Latest figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed a boost in December when 433, 660 people crossed Georgian borders. This was a 10.5 percent increase on December 2013.

Last month of the year the highest number of visitors came from Turkey, followed by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia and Ukraine.

The Ministry said the data showed a positive trend where more visitors from European Union countries continued to visit Georgia.

The number of visitors from Latvia, Latvia, United Kingdom, Poland, Kazakhstan, the Middle East, Israel, Belarus and Moldova also increased from year to year.

Source

    Georgian Wine Catalogue      
 To add this Search Box to your website,  click  here. Many designs are available.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Georgia on my mind as the fog of Abu Dhabi clears

by Peter Hellyer

06.01.2015. It’s become a family tradition in recent years to slip away over New Year to somewhere not too far away – no point in spending too many hours on a plane – yet a place that offers markedly different attractions from the UAE. For four years, we’ve chosen Istanbul, for its architecture, for the delights of a Bosphorus cruise and, of course, for the shopping.

This year, we opted for something entirely different and went to Georgia. Once our friends realised that we weren't flying all that way across the Atlantic for a mere three or four days, their response was mainly one of curiosity. Nestled in the south-western Caucasus, this small country clearly has a long way to go in attracting tourists from the Emirates, despite direct flights from Sharjah and Dubai. That said, we were happy to find some other UAE citizens and expatriate residents in the hotel we had selected.

A quick internet check told us some of what to expect: mountains and river valleys and a n abundance of ancient castles, churches and monasteries, for Georgia is overwhelmingly Christian, the religion having arrived there in the 1st century AD. Indeed the Georgian alphabet is said to have been created in the 5th century for the purpose of translating the Bible into the Georgian language.

Monday, January 5, 2015

InterContinental to open new hotel in Tbilisi

05.01.2015 (Hvino Tour News) InterContinental Hotels Group announced that it will open the InterContinental Tbilisi in Georgia in 2016.  The hotel will be the company’s first property in the country, and will operate in conjunction with existing owner partner Adjara Group.

Of the hotel’s 200 rooms, 15 will be suites, including a Presidential Suite. The property will feature a large multifunctional conference hall, ballroom, conference center, and multiple meeting rooms. Also on the premises will be an all-day dining restaurant, InterContinental Club Lounge, lobby bar, spa, and an indoor and outdoor pool.

The building that will house the hotel is a former printing warehouse. Centrally located in the heart of the capital, the hotel will be within walking distance of the city’s major landmarks, neighboring embassies, and business centers.

IHG’s chief executive officer of Europe, Angela Brav, said "We’re thrilled to be signing a property under our flagship InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand in Georgia. We look forward to further expanding our presence in this region,” Brav said.