The Government will spare no effort to turn Georgia into one of the exceptionally attractive countries on the world tourist map, – Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated in his speech during the International Meetings Forum of Georgia, which is held in cooperation with the International Congress and Conference Association (ICCA).

According to the Prime Minister, tourism has emerged as Georgian economy’s driving force, and its further development is the top priority.

“We are genuinely proud that the most influential international publications and TV stations offer increasingly growing coverages of Georgia as the world’s best destination. Those of you visiting Georgia for the first time can see it for yourselves. It is very important to us because tourism is one of the best ways to showcase Georgia’s cultural heritage, natural beauty and, most importantly, Georgian hospitality,” Mamuka Bakhtadze stated.

The Head of Government emphasized Georgia’s achievements in the development of tourism, which is immensely important in terms of economic benefits for the country’s population.

According to the Prime Minister, the Government’s top priority is ensuring inclusive growth in the country to reflect in the everyday life of each citizen.

“Consequently, this sector, along with its growth, will bring about greater prosperity. The sector of tourism is special in that every Georgian region, city or village, can engage in it, and it is accessible to all. We continue diversifying Georgia’s touristic offers and developing new directions in the country. At the same time, we have a concrete vision and plan for the sector’s development in the coming years,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

According to Mamuka Bakhtadze, the development of business tourism is one of the key directions in Georgia.

“The business tourism sector focuses on attracting significant numbers of visitors and, at the same time, promoting the development of various other sectors and adopting international experience at the local level, along with sharing knowledge and introducing the best practices, which is imperative to our country. Our strategy involves turning Georgia into the region’s economic, international business and, most importantly, tourism hub, which is why developing business tourism is our strategic objective,” the Prime Minister said.

According to the Head of Government, the development of the meetings industry is also planned as one of the best ways to ensure that Georgia, through professionals working in a variety of fields, to demonstrate its achievements at the international level and to share with the world the important practices introduced in the country today.

“In this context, in recent years, we launched active cooperation with the ICCA, and the country’s ranking in the organization’s index is up 18 points compared to 2014. However, that is not enough to meet our vision and objectives, and we very much hope that, in the next few years, we will achieve greater progress in these rankings. Georgia has an ambition and vision of becoming the region’s tourist, transport, and intellectual hub, which is why deepening the relations between Georgia and the ICCA is so important, and I am happy to see that yet another step has been taken today in terms of our cooperation with this organization,” Mamuka Bakhtadze underscored.

The Head of Government thanked the ICCA President, the forum’s delegates and participants for being part of this important event. This two-day conference at the Biltmore Hotel will conclude on October 23.

Information released by Prime Minister’s Press Office