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“We will not rest until one million visitors come in this region”
Adjara is located on the south-eastern coast of the Black Sea and extends into the wooded foothills and mountains of the Caucasus Minor. It borders the Guria Region to the north, Samtskhe-Javakheti to the east and Turkey to the south. Most of the territory of Adjara consists of either hills or mountains. The highest peak is 3,000 meters (9,840ft.) above the sea level. About 60% of Adjara is covered with forests. Many parts of the Meskheti Range (the west-facing slopes) are covered by temperate rainforests.
“Nobody can deny that tourism sphere is developing in Georgia; especially in Adjara, where its rapid growth is evident. I don’t mean only the seaside, but the mountains as well. Among them are fishing, rafting, archeological sites and so on,” Diasamidze, concluded.
Q. To start with, could you please tell me about the tourism situation in Batumi?
A. According to the statistics, the average number of tourists grows every year, for example last year there were about 150 thousand tourists and this year we are expecting 210 thousand tourists, this growth is caused by the statement of our country, which has become more secure, and by the development of the infrastructure. This indicator is very small if compared to 2008, as far as by this time 20 hotels will be built that will support the growth of the tourism sector. We are also planning to increase the tourism season from two to seven months.
Q. Imagine that I am an investor, how could you attract me to make investment exactly in Batumi and not in another place?
A. First of all I can provide some examples of large investments: for instance the hotel Intourist opened two month ago and the demand for it is very big. It is caused by location of the city in Georgia, it is a crossroad of various countries and when the flow of tourists increases the interest towards this country will increase as well. For example after the Rose revolution the interest towards our country has risen very much. Another indicator of tourism growth will be the opening of a new airport in Batumi; it will cover not only the territory of Adjara, but also the area in Turkey to Trabzon as well.
Q. I think that one big problem is that most of the people do not know Georgia. How are you going to promote Georgia in this way?
A. Well, we are shooting a Georgian movie about our country which will be broadcasted on BBC channel and in euro news as well. It will be commercial advertisement. Also we take part in international exhibitions, for example we participated in eight exhibitions last year. Our main target group is foreigners. Maybe you will be surprised when I say that the number of Turkish tourists is increasing every year, this is due to the increased interest of the Georgian population living in eastern Turkey towards this region. There is also a big interest from tour agencies of other countries, for example there are three Armenian and one Russian tour agency working in Adjara region.
Q. Could you provide some figures in regards to your sector? How is it reflected in the budget of Georgia?
A. Our budget, I mean in the tourism sphere, was about 160 thousand GEL in 2004, but nowadays we have 460 thousand GEL only for the target program, for creating the advertisement products.
Q. In your opinion, what should be improved for future?
A. I think that mountain tourism should be improved along the sea tourism. The demand is very high for this from European people. Just two days ago a Camping center was opened in Khotebi, and we are going to open such camps also in Shuakhevi, Khulo etc.
Q. Could you tell us few words about what Adjara means for you?
A. Well, I can say that everyone feels home in Adjara, which is caused by the nature, culture and people. And also there are some other factors contributing to the development of tourism sphere in this region, for example the roads were repaired, communication sector was improved, and there energy problems were solved in our country. Everything is private in Adjara now and I am only responsible for regulating these issues, supporting the investor’s activities by providing information to them. Besides, also I can initiate some draft laws regarding the tourism sphere.
Q. What about The United States? It has been providing important assistance to Georgia, what role does it play here?
A. I want to remind you that the president of the US called Misha Saakashvili his friend, it means that we feel this country supports us and we are able to do things more freely concerning Russia. And I would like to emphasize that this country played a great role in establishing the political stability in Georgia.
Q. What is your opinion regarding the young people who are charged with very important responsibilities in the government?
A. I agree that this is a very big responsibility but we do all the work together, we support each other.
Q. What is your vision of Adjara after two years?
A. We won’t rest until one million visitors come in this region.
