Vice Speaker Gia Volski: In Georgia, as anywhere in the world, the tourism industry relies on a welcoming attitude towards visitors

“In Georgia, and indeed in any country around the world, the tourism industry relies on the principle of a welcoming attitude towards visitors,” stated Gia Volski, First Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia.

According to Volski, tourists do not care about ethnic backgrounds; a nation becomes instantly unsuitable for tourism the moment aggression is directed at a visitor.

“Overall, the objective behind changing this policy is to damage our tourism industry and our image as a stable country; stability that allows Georgia to maintain steady economic growth metrics. The overarching goal of all this is to create tension that will reinforce their demands for sanctions against Georgia. That is the main objective of this xenophobic assault. This is not some spontaneous emotional outburst, especially when we recall that period in our history when every effort was made to restore relations with Russia, even while the bodies of our fallen soldiers had not yet grown cold. Those were the instructions then; today, the world holds a different stance, particularly the European Union.

In Georgia, and indeed in any country around the world, the tourism industry relies on a welcoming attitude towards visitors. Tourists do not distinguish between ethnic groups; to them, a country becomes completely unsuitable for travel the instant aggression is shown towards a visitor. Let us reflect on all of this and compare it to the past, when Saakashvili unfurled a Russian flag on a mountain alongside a Russian tourist, which directly followed instructions that suited the Obama administration at the time,” Volski stated.