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Georgia has announced it should be ready to receive all international tourists starting on July 31st to set zones of the country.
IMPORTANT UPDATE JUNE 27:
Since first publishing this article the Georgian government has changed the planned reopening date from July 1st to July 31st, citing a “rapid increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in the partner and neighboring countries.”
The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Natia Turnava stated in a press release on June 26th: “Most of all, we want to resume the regular flights as soon as possible – as you know, our government, including our Ministry, was at the forefront of the process in opening new flights and bringing new airlines to the Georgian market, but now the priority is the health of our population and the epidemiological situation in Georgia’’
International flights into Georgia have now been suspended until July 31st.
The original published article now continues below:
Officials have brought in a three-stage “anti-crisis” plan, which includes a marketing campaign designed to promote Georgia as a “safe destination.”
Georgia will soon reopen domestic tourism services, and should be ready to welcome international tourists on July 31st.
Georgia has stated that it will welcome all travellers but it's not clear how this will work as there are still several policies that will have to be followed.
According to Lifestyle, there will be set “zones” that travellers may be permitted to visit, and land border crossings are still being negotiated.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said “We will be creating safe corridors on land borders with neighbouring countries that are of touristic interest to us”.
Georgia will first receive tourists in “Green Zones”, where “infection cases of coronavirus have not been confirmed”. However, these zones have not yet been finalised, a spokesman said.
National Administration of Tourism leader, Mariam Kvrivishvili says this would mean introducing “zones all over the country which are completely protected from Covid-19”.
“Safety will be the main condition for us. Georgia is one of the first countries in the world to announce that it will reopen its tourism industry in the context of the current pandemic crisis. It is important that all hotels, food catering facilities, guides, and travel agencies unfailingly comply to the established international criteria for safety,” Kvrivishvili added.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava, said that Georgia will be promoted as a safe destination for international travellers, as an internationally acclaimed and successful country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Before the world knew us as a country with an ancient hospitality tradition, now the world will recognise us as a safe country destination. We need to use the new competitive advantage that our country has acquired in the fight against the pandemic. I mean the internationally recognised success of Georgia and the completely unique experience and skills acquired by the tourism industry in providing quarantine services. 83 hotels served over 19,000 people in quarantine during the pandemic and this is an enormous experience"
According to Agenda.ge, tourism is one of the driving sources of the Georgian economy and accounts for 11.5 per cent of the gross domestic product. Last year Georgia hosted 9.4 million visitors and employed 150,000 people in the field of tourism
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