Wednesday, June 11, 2014

"Aeroflot" to Resume Regular Flights to Georgia

12.06.2014. According to the materials on the website of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviaciya), JSC "Aeroflot" was granted permission by the Russian aviation authorities to perform scheduled air transportation in Tbilisi.

"To grant permission after receiving the response note of the Georgian Foreign Ministry on the resumption of regular air traffic," – it is said in a statement.

Air traffic between Russia and Georgia was interrupted in August 2008 due to the Russia-Georgia war. Flights were resumed in August 2010.

Currently the Russian airline "Siberia" is performing flights in Georgia.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

A number of new flights to open from Georgia in summer

05.06.2014. A number of new scheduled and charter flights from Georgia are open in summer of 2014, head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, Giorgi Sigua told the Azerbaijani journalists.

"A number of new scheduled flights from Russia, European countries are being opened this year. From June 14, Ukraine International Airlines from Lvov, Kharkov, Kiev start flying to Batumi. They will have 10-11 weekly flights. Also, "Dniproavia" will fly from Dnepropetrovsk. WizzAir Airlines increases number of flights from Kutaisi to Kiev," he said.

Furthermore, it is planned a lot of scheduled flights from Moscow, Israel, the Arab states in summer, according to the administration head.

At present, negotiations are held with the Hungarian WizzAir company on making the Kutaisi airport as a base airport for this company, according to Sigua.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Study of untapped tourist areas started in Georgia

30.05.2014. Ecotourism Development Center explores the untapped tourism zones of Georgia. Mr. Zaza Gagua, head of the Center, noted that the projects are implemented under the order of the National Tourism Administration.  He mentioned that at this stage specialists are studying the agro-tourist potential in the surroundings of Tbilisi. Study of adventure tourism destinations is also underway in Dedoplistskaro municipality.

According to Mr. Gagua, a survey will be completed by the end of June , but it is known that there is a possibility of arranging 2 pedestrian lanes, 2 bicycle lanes and two-day jeep tours in Dedoplistskaro. In his words, after the completion of the study, the Tourism Administration will start marking directions and promoting routes. Hiking and horseback riding routes are being studied in Samegrelo and Svaneti regions.

Source

    Georgian Wine Catalogue      
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Batumi tourist season to be opened on May 31

21.05.2014. The tourist season in Adjara will be officially opened on May 31, according to Mamuka Berdzenishvili, Deputy Director of Tourism Department of Adjara. According to him, the season opening  in Batumi will be celebrated with various sporting and musical events that  will last until  the late evening while during the summer several important festivals are planned (including the Jazz festival) organized by a private sector.

As for this year's novelties, Berdzenishvili notes that online marketing operates in the Department, which includes social networks which will allow spreading advertising information in nine target countries adjacent to Georgia.

A representative of Adjara Tourism Department expects a 15% increase in the number of tourists in comparison with last year. In his words, last year more than 400 thousand tourists arrived in Adjara.

Berdzenishvili notes that only competitive environment can influence on prices. He adds that by 2016 it is planned to increase the number of rooms at the hotel to  3 500 as well as to open new catering facilities that will increase the competition.

A total of 3 million GEL will be allocated from the budget of Adjara Tourism Department for targeted events  and services development.

Source

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

Friday, May 16, 2014

Mestia airport among 10 most beautiful airports in the world – BBC

16.05.2014 (Hvino TOUR News). Most airports are purely functional, but these are architectural wonders. BBC’s  Jonathan Glancey shows where flying becomes a work of art.

Georgian Queen Tamar Airport of Mestia is on the list of ten most beautiful airports in the world along with the airports of Hong Kong, Uruguay, Venice, California, Scotland, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia and Jeddah. 

“Mestia is a small ski town, 1,500m up in the Caucasus mountains in northwest Georgia and its churches and forts form a Unesco World Heritage site. The bizarre new airport terminal – in the guise of an extruded square steel and glass section bent into three improbable directions – is the work of the German artist and architect Jurgen Mayer-Hermann. The black and white structure has been designed to attract the curious and to help put Mestia on the map of the modern world,” BBC informs.

© Hvino TOUR News

Tour operators do not expect a boom of Ukrainian tourists in Georgia

15.05.2014. Ukrainian tour operators have not confirmed assumptions about the growing interest of Ukrainian citizens to travel to Georgia, and do not see the trend of doubling of demand.

Will the flow of Ukrainian tourists grow on the coast of Georgia at the expense of the citizens of Ukraine who spent their vacation in the Crimea until the annexation of the peninsula by Russia?

"Commersant" was told by manager of "Calypso-Ukraine" Irina Gurenko that Ukrainian tourists always showed a great interest to Georgia, but a significant growth had not been observed in recent time - especially based on the situation which is now evolving in the country.

"We hope for the best. Georgia is a great alternative to the Crimea. We have different categories of tourists, and each product has its buyer. It will be very good if the prices of tourist services in Georgia decrease," - she says.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Panorama Tbilisi development project discussed

30.04.2014. On April 24, Tbilisi City Hall released a statement that they rejected the project offered by Panorama Tbilisi on March 27, 2014. Georgian billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili is one of the major investors in the project.

Panorama Tbilisi’s four multi-functional areas with a total investment of $500 million will be fully funded by the $6 billion USD Georgian Co-Investment Fund (GCF), which is a private equity fund.

The projects range across a variety of sectors totaling $1.3 billion USD including tourism and real estate, which will be allocated on half of the initial budget of half a billion USD. In addition, more than $770 million will be invested in two energy projects and $59.3 million USD will go towards developing Georgia’s agricultural industry with dairy farms and greenhouse projects.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Hospitality industry booms in Georgia

21.04.2014. There is an unprecedented boom happening in the hospitality industry in emerging markets worldwide, including Georgia, according to Jeffrey Catrett from the Institut Paul Bocuse, MSc in International Hospitality Management at EMLYON business school. He lists the blossoming Georgian wine tourism industry as one specific example and says that, as investment increases in both the leisure and business hospitality sectors, emerging markets such as Georgia must invest in training the managerial talent to keep pace with the expansion.

The BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will be at the centre of growth for the hospitality industry in the next decade, according to Catrett.

“We have primarily been seeing growth in the hotel industry. There are two types of hotel - business and resorts. Business hotels in the emerging markets have benefitted from a more stable economic environment. These types of hotels rely on foreign investment into emerging markets that leads business and trade delegations to visit - and they need places to stay! Local people’s increased wealth has led them to invest in hotels to meet this need. And finally, big companies are expanding into new (emerging) markets to maintain growth and this has led also to an increase in business visitors,” said Jeffrey Catrett.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Katie Melua’s Tbilisi: My kind of town

Interview by York Membery

14.04.2014. Katie Melua, the singer, reveals her favourite hotels, bars and restaurants in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital and her childhood home

Why Tbilisi?

It’s where I spent most of my childhood up to the age of nine, before my family and I moved to Britain. Being the capital of Georgia, it’s the country’s cultural centre. It’s also steeped in history – the Old Town, with its twisting alleys, is particularly fascinating – and has some beautiful churches dating back hundreds of years. Unlike London, it’s a very hilly city with the advantage being you can enjoy the most fabulous views from certain points. It’s a city that’s very much off the beaten track. Not many tourists have been there, which makes it all the more worth visiting.

Anything special I should pack?

Probably headache pills and a hangover cure. The Georgians will treat you like royalty, and the odds are you’ll do a lot of eating, drinking and toasting. Being so hilly, good walking shoes are a must. It’s hot and muggy in the summer but very cold in the winter, so pack accordingly. Late spring is a good time to go.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

National tourism administration conducts ad campaigns only in five countries

12.04.2014. Marketing campaigns will be conducted only in Germany, Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, Austria and Poland this year. At this time it’s unknown whether or not ad campaigns will be conducted in Ukraine due to the current developments there. The total annual budget that will be spent on Georgia’s promotion in the world market amounts to 8 million 900 thousand GEL.

As early as last December, the head of the Administration said that in 2014 Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan would be among the leaders of the target groups. The Baltic states, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel were considered as the interesting markets as well.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Georgia, WTO discuss cooperation prospects

09.04.2014. Georgia and World Tourism Organization discussed the prospects of cooperation, in particular the creation of joint tourist products.

Georgian Prime Minister met with Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO). Irakli Garibashvili thanked Taleb Rifai for his visit to Tbilisi and expressed the hope that mutual cooperation will soon enter a new phase, Georgian Prime Minister's office told Trend on April 7. "This is very important for Georgia," he added.

The parties discussed the tendencies of tourism development in Georgia and reforms implemented in this area.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Georgian economy and its development is a priority for the authorities.

The prospects of cooperation, the creation of common tourism products and technical cooperation issues that the organization offers its members were discussed during the meeting.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Tbilisi International Airport among the best ten airports in Eastern Europe

01.04.2014. Tbilisi International Airport has been named as one of the best airports in Eastern Europe by Skytrax World Airport Awards, the most prestigious accolades for the world airport industry.

Result of a survey of air travelers revealed Tbilisi International Airport was ranked as one of the best ten airports in Eastern Europe of 2014.

The other top nine international airports were: Budapest Ferenc Liszt, Borispol (Kiev), Tallinn, Riga, Bratislava, Belgrade, Sofia, Varna and Burgas.

TAV general manager Mete Erkal believed under the operation of TAV Georgia, Tbilisi International Airport had turned into "one of the most important hubs in Eastern Europe in a very short time”.

"Tbilisi International Airport provides services to more than 1.4 million passengers a year. It was in the result of passenger surveys that Tbilisi International Airport was named as one of the best airports in Eastern Europe,” Erkal said.

Friday, March 28, 2014

IWINETC Day 1 round up: Excitement increases for Georgian wines & tourism

28.03.2014. After a very tense and dangerous bus ride less than two miles from the hotel, only to have to walk the last 100 meters of the way on a side street, our first official visit was to the only wine bar in Tbilisi called Vino Underground Wine Bar & Shop. As its name suggests, this is an underground cellar that was converted into not only a wine bar, but also a small and delightful wine shop that brings to Tbilisi some of the best natural wines of Georgia.

Owned and operated by seven small Georgian wineries, here one can find a wide variety of wines representing the different wine regions of Georgia. The vast majority of wineries of Georgia are very small. But there is a movement for some of these wineries to work together to improve wine quality and awareness.

From traditional Georgian qvevri to western stainless steel styled wines, from fresh and light whites to fuller bodied and savory orange (or amber) wines, our host, John Wurderman and a few of his fellow Georgian wine makers gave us a most well rounded introduction with a very well prepared tasting of Georgian wines to be discovered during the International Wine Tourism Conference in Tbilisi this weekend.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Israeli businessman to build agro-tourism center in Kakheti

22.03.2014 (Hvino TOUR News). Israeli businessman will be engaged in agro-tourism development in Georgia  Abram Tetruashvili stated to Commersant radio that he intends to invest one million USD in agro-tourism development project that will be implemented in the region of Kakheti.

He says that the purchase of farms, hotels and visitors' center construction, production of agricultural products at the site are planned in the region.

Tetruashvili adds they plan to purchase the land where wheat and other crops will be grown. The necessary equipment will be brought from Israel in order to increase production while produced products will be exported . In his words, the agro-tourism center will be deigned mostly for Russian and Israeli tourists. The businessman plans to implement the project in the spring.

© Hvino TOUR News

    Georgian Wine Catalogue      

Friday, March 14, 2014

Georgian Tourism Administration postpones marketing campaign in Russia

14.03.2014. The Georgian Tourism Administration has postponed a marketing campaign scheduled for March in Russia for an indefinite period. Georgia's marketing campaign was to start in Russia in March.
The promotional clips about Georgia were to be shown in Moscow's cinemas.

The tender was announced on January 31, 2013 to conduct a campaign in Russia, the administration said on March 13. Two Russian companies, namely, Uralska and Initiative participated, but a winner was not determined. "We felt it inappropriate to show promo movies in Moscow's cinemas because of the worsening of the political situation and current events," the administration said. "A decision was taken to suspend the advertising activity and to cancel the campaign. But we assume that this year's certain advertising campaign will be carried out in Russia."

Source

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Georgia, Spain sign memorandum on cooperation in tourism sector

13.03.2014. Georgia's Vice Prime Minister - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Spanish Industry, Energy and Tourism Minister, Jose Manuel Soria discussed cooperation in tourism and renewable energy sectors, during Kvirikashvili's visit to Spain.

The parties signed a memorandum of understanding in the tourism area, Georgian Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry said.

"We agreed that a delegation, including Spanish government's and private sector's representatives, will make an official visit to Georgia, during which the strategic cooperation in the tourism sector will be discussed. Spain has very great experience in this area. I believe that our future cooperation will be very interesting," Kvirikashvili said.

Jose Manuel Soria, in turn, said the two countries have plenty room to deepen relations and cooperation.
"This applies to tourism, energy and infrastructure. Today we have formalized a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in tourism. At the same time, together with the Foreign Minister, we are working on an official visit to Georgia. It will include many Spanish companies," Soria added.

Source

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Number of Passengers Travelling to Ukraine from Georgia Increased by 34.5% in 2014

11.03.2014. A total of 44,148 passengers departed to Ukraine from Georgia during January-February 2014. The number is 34.5% more than it was during the same period of last year. Ukraine remains the top fifth country in terms of number of arrivals in Georgia. In January 2014, 8,212 international visitors arrived in Georgia, which is 72% more than the data of the previous year.

Monthly comparative figures have shown that the largest number of Georgian passengers travelled to Ukraine in November 2013. The figure was 27,819. In December the number dropped to 25,972. In January 2014, 23,382 passengers travelled to Ukraine and in February - 20,766.

“The number of departures to Ukraine will not decrease in 2014 in comparison to 2013,” said Alexander Gachechiladze, Head of the Transportation Department at the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA).

According to Gachechiladze, the total number of flights from Georgia to Ukraine was 26 per week. “1,500 flights will be carried out in the direction of Ukraine during the current year,” said Gachechiladze.

Ukraine International Airlines (MAU) remained the single airline offering Tbilisi -Kiev direct flights, since Aerosvit left the Georgian market more than a year ago. Currently the ticket price for a Tbilisi -Kiev round trip is USD 326, while it is USD 185 for one way.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Georgia features in world leading travel expo

10.03.2014. Georgia’s unique tourism is being showcased alongside 188 other countries at the world’s largest travel and trade fair – the ITB Berlin.

Georgian Tourism industry insiders are eyeing the ITB Berlin 2014 as the opportunity to raise awareness surrounding Georgia’s tourism potential and attracting more international visitors.

The five day high-caliber program featured international tourism industry experts and government representatives, who discussed concepts, best practice examples, and the potential profitability of sustainable tourism.

The Georgian delegation is being led by the head of Georgia’s National Tourism Administration, Giorgi Sigua, who believed this event granted Georgia exclusive rights to present the country through unique guidebooks and brochures.