Thursday, November 26, 2015

IFC funds one of Georgia’s first three-star branded hotels

26.11.2015.  (Hvino News). IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing a $7 million loan to a wholly owned subsidiary of m2 Real Estate to build one of the first three-star internationally branded hotels in Georgia, helping create jobs, meet growing demand for quality hospitality infrastructure, and spur broader economic growth.

Tourism and travel is one of Georgia’s fastest growing sectors, and a key generator of jobs. Yet the budget and mid-market hotel segments are particularly underserved, resulting in a large gap between supply and demand. In funding the construction of a Ramada Encore Hotel in Tbilisi, IFC’s loan to JSC m2 Real Estate’s wholly owned subsidiary aims to address this gap.

”Building on our successful cooperation with IFC over years, with this new project we plan to contribute to improving Georgia’s hospitality infrastructure and cater to the growing demand for travel in the country,” said Irakli Burdiladze, Chief Executive Officer, m2 Real Estate.

The 152-room hotel is the first step in JSC m2 Real Estate’s plan to build more than 300 affordable hotel rooms in Tbilisi and, potentially, other cities of Georgia. In addition, the hotel plans to use using energy efficient technologies to reduce power use.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Georgia's wine and tourism agencies briefed journalists on first UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism

13.11.2015 (Hvino News) Yesterday in Tbilisi the the heads of the National Tourism Administration and National Wine Agency - Giorgi Chogovadze and Giorgi Samanishvili - held a joint press conference regarding the first Global Conference on Wine Tourism, planned for 2016 in Georgia.

The wine conference will be held under the auspices of United Nations's World Tourism Organization - UNWTO.

As announced last moth at UNWTO event in London, the first UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism will be held in Georgia’s Kakheti wine region on September 7-9, 2016 (read more here). The activity is part of the UNWTO Gastronomy Network plan of action.

The representatives of Georgia's wine and tourism agencies briefed the journalists at Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel on the conference project details, and answered the questions.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Georgia to host UNWTO’s 1st Global Conference on Wine Tourism in 2016

05.11.2015 (Hvino News) Wine tourism is set to really take off next year after it was announced that the first UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism will be held in Georgia’s Kakheti wine region from Sept. 7-9, 2016.

The 1st UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism was officially launched by UNWTO and the Georgian National Tourism Administration on the occasion of the World Travel Market in London. The activity is part of the UNWTO Gastronomy Network plan of action.

The UNWTO and the Georgian National Tourism Administration made the announcement at World Travel Market session. As explained by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, who led the presentation with the head of Georgian National Tourism Administration, George Chogovadze, and the Georgian Ambassador to Spain, Zurab Pololikashvili, “Wine tourism represents a growing segment with immense opportunities to diversify demand. In the case of Georgia, this potential is well known as we are very pleased to be holding the first UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism in the country.”

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Indian visitations to Georgia register 81% growth during first nine months of 2015

03.11.2015 (Hvino News).Georgia Tourism holds first roadshow in India in partnership with Air Arabia.

There has been a commendable growth of 81% in Indian inbound to Georgia during the first nine of this year, compared to 3,792 Indian arrivals during the same period in 2014. According to Georgia National Tourism Administration (GNTA), they welcomed 6,869 Indian passport holders from January to September, 2015. Speaking to TravelBiz Monitor on the sidelines of the roadshow jointly organized by GNTA and Air Arabia, George Chogovadze, Head of Administration, GNTA, said that the Indian arrival figures have been encouraging since Air Arabia commenced operations to Tbilisi last year.

Chogovadze said that GNTA’s efforts are to create more awareness about the destination, especially the MICE potential of destinations like Tbilisi and Batumi. “We have hosted 18 travel writers from India to Georgia last year. We will continue to organize FAM trips for media and travel agents to make the tourism potential of Georgia known in India,” he said. Chogovadze said that Georgia is a small country, but diverse in terms of topography, climate, etc. “We have mountains, ski resorts, beaches, wildlife, etc.  Cultural tour is quite popular. Georgia is a cradle of wines with 8,000 years of wine heritage,” he said.