Azerbaijani government: Baku-Tbilisi-Kars to be launched in 2013

Der Spiegel

04.12.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News) The first train of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway will be launched by the line at the end of 2013. The statement came from Deputy Minister of Transport of Azerbaijan Musa Panakhov today.

The project was originally to be completed by 2010,  later it was scheduled for completion by 2014.

Once completed,  BTK - called "Iron Silk Road" -  will begin at the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and travel through  Tbilisi, before carrying on to Kars, a Turkish town on the southwestern lip of the Caucasus region. In total 105 kilometers of new line will be built between Kars and Akhalkalaki, with 76 kilometers  within Turkey and 29 kilometers  in Georgia. The existing railway line from Akhalkalaki to Marabda and on to Tbilisi and Baku will be modernized. Its total length will be 826 kilometers (513 mi) and it will be able to transport 1 million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight at the first stage. This capacity will then reach 3 million passengers and over 15 million tons of freight.

© HTN (Hvino Tour News)

Goderdzi Pass resort to receive first visitors

04.12.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News). Goderdzi Pass will be able to get the first visitors from the end of December.

Construction of Goderdzi Pass mountain ski resort is carried with financial support of Austrian Government. Agreeement on over  € 10 million was signed by the Minister of Economy and Finance of Georgia Dimitry Gvindadze and the Manager of UniCredit Bank Austria AC Florence Werdisheim in June 1012. Works are implemented by the Austrian company Doppelmayr.

“Goderdzi Resorts” director Vazha Diasamidze explained that from the end of the month it will be possible to use a cableway   and in the first phase 9 gondolas for  8 persons will be operational, to carry 250 people per hour. A total of 68 gondolas can be  installed  and, as Diasamidze notes, it will depend on  demand.

Holiday Inn to offer package tours

Photo: The Financial 

04.12.2012. Holiday Inn is increasing the number of its rooms by adding one more floor to boost its current capacity. The hotel is currently the biggest in Georgia operating with 252 guest rooms. Holiday Inn does host "leisure" travelers,  but the majority of its guests are business delegations. The owner company of Holiday Inn Tbilisi founded the first Georgian hotel brand ‘Rooms’ in 2012 and the first Rooms hotel has now opened in Kazbegi.

“We are growing considerably and this means that tourism in general in Georgia is on the path of significant development,” Valeri Chekheria, CEO of Adjara+ Limited, the owner company of Holiday Inn Tbilisi, reported The Financial. “As well as the success of Holiday Inn Tbilisi, we have created the first Georgian hotel brand - Rooms. Our group has the burning ambition to make it a brand equal to international standards and operating with local concept. Today the first Rooms hotel, located in Kazbegi, the mountainous region of Georgia, is up and running and meeting all international standards. The hotel has already gained great popularity with both local and foreigner travellers. There is a Casino and various venues to host variety of events. A swimming pool and spa will be opened soon. All these facilities come with a great view over Mkinvari. This makes the place especially outstanding and stunning.”

"Chateau Mukhrani" to invest 8 million EUR in tourism

03.12.2012.  Prince Ivane Mukhranbatoni-Bagrationi’s estate with its gardens, stable, antique cellars, Georgian and European restaurants, exhibition halls, wedding house,  suites, amphitheater  and more will open to tourists by August 2013.

Today the Bagrationi Estate in Mukhrani, located 35 km from Tbilisi, is already hosting visitors with its offers of exclusive wine tasting, lunch or dinner with a range of tasty Georgian dishes, horse riding, churchkhela-making, traditional Georgian bread-baking and chacha distillation.

Bagrationi estate in Mukhrani was a  center for the Georgian cultural elite in the 19th century. Ivane Mukhranbatoni, a well educated and talented landlord was famed for his winemaking. Even in the 19th century Mukhrani wines were very popular in Georgia as well as abroad.

Silk Road Group rules out law violations in Trump Tower and hotels in Adjara

02.12.2012. Silk Road Group rules out the facts of law violations may be revealed in connection with Trump Tower project. Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the company stated that the area where the Batumi Tower is planned to be built was purchased from Adjara government.

According to Alexander Topuria, the tender was completed in full compliance with the law, the territory has been acquired in accordance with the market price and the project doesn’t require any checking. The new government of Adjara doesn’t rule out that Silk Road Group bought the territory from Batumi City Hall with violations - at the price that is lower than the current market price.

Along with that, the Ministry of Economy of Adjara had launched administrative proceedings against the company due to non-implementation of investment projects. As for the new complexes that had to be built on the territory of Meskheti and Media hotels until 2011, Topuria adds that on the basis of one of them Radisson hotel was opened despite the global crisis and the 2008 Georgia - Russian war. The company is ready to pay a penalty for failure to fulfill obligations in terms of the second project. In Topuria’s words, since 2006 Silk Road Group has invested in total 100 million USD in Adjara.

Source

Tourism is top priority for Adjara's government

Photo: Adjara TV

by Nino Edilashvili

02.12.2012. After the Georgian Dream coalition won the local elections in the Adjara Autonomous Republic, the new Georgian Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, nominated Archil Khabadze as the new head of the autonomous republic. Prior to this appointment, Khabadze was the regional head of Qartu Bank in Batumi. On October 30 local legislative body of the autonomous republic - Supreme Council - elected Khabadze with 13 votes.

With extensive experience in the banking sector, Khabadze, 31, thinks that he has skills to better manage the Adjara region. Apart from Qartu Bank, Khabadze also held senior positions at Georgian Maritime Bank and Intellect Bank– both in Batumi.

Kazakh President to open Likani Sanatorium in Georgia

01.12.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News) Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will attend opening ceremony of the Likani Sanatorium during his official visit to Georgia in February 2013.

Therapeutic and wellness complex Likani in Borjomi was purchased by Kazakh company KazMunayGas in May of 2006 for 10 million dollars. The sanatorium was shortly closed for reconstruction. It has now been rebuilt.

The KazMunayGas subsidiary - KMG-service - is the operator of Likani project. According to KMG-Service, Kazakh party has invested around 6.5 million dollars in the project.

© HTN (Hvino Tour News)

Number of foreign tourists in Adjara grew by 78 percent

30.11.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News). In January-October 2012 number of foreign visitors in Adjara was 719,196 - an increase by 78% over the same period last year, according to the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Adjara.

In total 2012 Adjara received 1,452,204 visitors in January-October 2012. This is an increase by 28% over 2011. As compared to 2010, the increase is by 63%.

Majority of foreign visitors came from Turkey (20% of all visitors), Armenia (14% of foreign visitors,  7% of all visitors),  Iran (9.9% of the foreign visitors, 4.9% of all visitors)  and Azerbaijan (8.3% of the foreign visitors, 4.1% of all visitors).

© HTN (Hvino Tour News)

EBRD to finance Novotel hotel construction in Tbilisi

Lasha Papashvili. Photo: Commersant

29.11.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News). European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved a senior loan to finance the construction and operation of a 4-star hotel in Tbilisi.

EBRD will allocate 18.66 million for the hotel project, while the total cost of project cost is 31.1 million. The co-sponsors are Georgian businessman Lasha Papashvili and "Georgian Real Estate Holding". Recipient of EBRD's loan is "64 Chavchavadze LLC", which is a limited liability company incorporated in Georgia, whose ultimate beneficiaries are Mr. Lasha Papashvili and Mr. Sulkhan Papashvili.

Hotel "Redix" would be run under the Novotel brand by the hotel operator Accor. The project site is located on Chavchavadze Avenue, close to the city centre and major corporate demand generators, and would feature 160 rooms, 1900 square meters of retail space and approximately 70 underground parking units.

© HTN (Hvino Tour News)

New Georgian economic minister counts on trade with Russia

Photo: Ministry of Economy

By Margarita Antidze

29.11.2012. Georgia's new economic minister says his country, beset by high unemployment and low per capita output, wants double-digit growth rates in two or three years through the injection of pro-business policies.

It is also striving to restore trade tries with neighbouring Russia, severed after a 2008 conflict, Georgy Kvirikashvili told Reuters in an interview on Monday. If Georgia were to mend economic ties with Russia, it might be able to rebuild bilateral trade, which has slumped to just 5 percent of total trade after peaking at 20 percent in 2006. That was before a Kremlin crackdown on imports of Georgian wine and mineral water.

Growth would come from Georgia's measures to boost midsize businesses, dismantle state monopolies, develop the stock exchange and attract foreign investors, Kvirikashvili said. But not yet. He forecast growth of 7 percent both this year and in 2013.

Iran and Georgia to expand cultural and tourism ties

29.11.2012. Tehran's Ambassador to Tbilisi Majid Saber and Georgian Minister of Culture and Monument Protection Guram Odisharia on Tuesday underlined the necessity for the further expansion of cultural relations between the two countries.

During the meeting also attended by Iran's Cultural Attaché in Georgia Ehsan Khazayee, the Georgian minister described cultural interactions between the two countries as an irrefutable feature of their relations, and said his ministry is prepared to improve this cooperation.

"There have been remarkable cultural activities and measures between Iran and Georgia," he said, and added, "the more these activities are expanded, the more assured the friendship between the two nations will be."

"Travel Weekly": Georgia rises

Photo: Travel Weekly / Godwin

28.11.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News). Today the leading US national newspaper of travel industry Travel Weekly published a fundamental article on Georgian tourism and wine tradition. Several excerpts from the article "Georgia rises" by Nadine Godwin follow:

When I passed through immigration at Georgia’s Tbilisi Airport, an agent quickly stamped my passport, then handed me a box.

Never before had I received a gift at an immigration checkpoint. The small bottle of red wine came with a message that said in part: “We warmly welcome you to Georgia, the country that gave wine to the world.” All arriving foreign-passport holders were gifted at entry in Tbilisi, a gesture that left no doubt about the country’s desire to please foreign visitors.

Georgia already is realizing some of its potential for wine tourism, with vintners in Kakheti, the country’s top winemaking region, offering tours and tastings.

Railway via Abkhazia: question is closed

Photo: Newsgeorgia

28.11.2012. According to Paata Zakareishvili, State Minister for Reintegration of Georgia, the Abkhaz railway topic is closed. He said that in reply to a journalist’s question, Commersant reported.

"The railway topic was closed after  the Abkhaz side didn't express an interest. On the contrary, they said that they were not interested in this issue. In my opinion, this issue should be interesting for the Abkhaz side,"- Paata Zakareishvili said, adding that the matter was finished.

The State Minister for Reintegration of Georgia Paata Zakareishvili discussed the initiative of resumption of the railway links with Russian via Abkhazia several weeks ago. The de facto Abkhaz government met negatively this proposal while the Russian side's position on this issue is not yet known. Armenia has expressed interest in restoration the Abkhaz section of the Georgian railway. The Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said that it was very important for Armenia to have the opportunity to make use of this infrastructure, because it is the most inexpensive way for transportation from Russia.

Source

Rasmussen to invest in Georgia's tourism sector

27.11.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News). Michael Rasmussen, cousin of NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen, plans to invest in Georgia. According to Georgian magazine Kviris Palitra, Mr. Rasmussen said:

"Saakashvili’s government did nothing for the people’s well being. That’s why it was impossible to collaborate with Georgia. After the changes that took place in October, I can talk about large scale investments and business projects in Georgia. We plan to carry out projects in the oil business and developing the tourist industry, as well as energy and agriculture".

Michael Rasmussen is a businessman who runs businesses in various countries and now he has a large scale business project for Georgia.

“I became interested in Georgia after the parliamentary elections. My company is interested in carrying out large tourism projects and projects within the agricultural sector. Projects like that are successfully run in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Senegal. I think we will reach success in Georgia as well,” he says.

From Georgia with love

Photo:  Spaswinefood

26.11.2012. Sharon Parsons, an American journalist,  has published today a detailed account of recent tour of wine bloggers to Georgia, in the framework of EWBC conference in Turkey (read more here). Here are excerpts from Parsons' blog post:

Georgia, one of the oldest producing wine regions in the world, is rich in tradition. However, it is not every day that you get an opportunity to experience the rich wine and food traditions of a unique wine producing country, like Georgia.  During a recent EWBC post-conference trip to Georgia Spaswinefood had the opportunity to experience first hand the wonderful Georgian hospitality centered around wine making and cuisine.

Our first stop in Tbilisi was the Georgian National Museum where we toured the museum. One of the  visit for me was seeing a display of historical qvevris. Throughout our visit to Georgia we saw how qvevris are used in today's wine production.

Reverse side of Georgian tourism

Photo: Georgia Times

by Vladimir Tshvediani

26.11.2012. The current economic crisis in Europe has once again proved that tourism is not a universal recipe for economic prosperity. Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus are the countries with a first-class tourist infrastructure. They are now visited by many guests. But it does not save them from the mass unemployment and crisis worsening by leaps and bounds. And the weightier is the tourist component of the economy, the more problems the country has.

This situation is not accidental. Hypertrophic tourism development suppresses many other areas of the economy. In places "tourist boom" the land and real estate prices instantly increase. Their prices can be quite acceptable to foreign investors, but they are too high for the locals.

Georgia is the guest country at Strasbourg Christmas Market

24.11.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News) This year Georgia is the guest country of Strasbourg Christmas Market, which opens on November 24 in France. Founded in 1570, Strasbourg Christmas Market is the world's most famous one thanks to its size and location in the capital of Europe. This year, as Capital of Christmas, Strasbourg welcomes Georgia. Georgia's Minister of Culture Guram Odisharia will attend the opening  ceremony.

Georgia will set up Georgian Christmas Village on Place Gutenberg, in the city centre, where all the regions of Georgia will be represented, as well as Georgian products, traditional dishes and clothing. Georgian Christmas Village will be open from 24th November to 23rd December.

A programme of cultural and artistic events gives the opportunity to immerse in Georgian customs through traditional songs, folk dances and activities for children. The programme will include performance of Georgia National Ballet (Place Kléber), Exhibition on Georgia (parc de l'Étoile), and Georgian Film Festival (Odyssée Cinema, 3 rue des Francs Bourgeois).

Georgian government will support tourism sector

Photo: Ministry of Economy

21.11.2012 (HTN - Hvino Tour News) Dmitry Kumsishvili, First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia,  met with representatives of private companies operating in tourism sector. The meeting was attended by representatives of several dozen companies.

Mr. Kumsishvili stressed that tourism is one of main priorities of the new government and informed the company representatives about the government's action plan in tourism sector for the next year.

The Deputy Minister answered questions, including those related to the prospects of the tourism infrastructure development and the continuation of current projects. Mr. Kumsishvili said projects will continue, but they will be re-examined in terms of cost-efficiency.  The authorities plan to actively cooperate with the tourism sector in all areas. The Deputy Minister also informed about the initiative to create Advisory Council as a body to discuss situation in tourism sector and to adopt recommendations.

Previously, after the change of cabinet, some tourism business leaders expressed concerns about state policy in this important area (see: Tourism business dissatisfied with National Tourism Agency: "If tourism is not a priority for the government, it is better for the sector).

© HTN (Hvino Tour News)