“The August war and global recession have had a big impact on Georgia’s tourism industry, however I can now say that Georgia has completely recovered from its image of a broken country,” says Chairman of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Georgia.

Luxury hotel Georgia Palace Hotel (GPH) located on the Black Sea coastline in Kobuleti (Adjara) served 7,112 guests in 2008. Lela Tsulukidze, its Executive Director, says that these figures should double in 2009. The hotel, which was constructed in 2 years, is owned by Mr. Temur Chkonia, head of Coca Cola official bottler in Georgia. Tsulukidze says he is considering expansion plans for the hospitality business.

Adjara Tourism Association was presented at the Second Tourism Exhibition on Batumi on May 8-10, 2009, which was organized under the initiative of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara with the active support of the Municipality of Batumi.

Representatives of several National Parks and Reservations from Georgia and invited guests from Georgian Tourism Association (GTA) and Adjara Tourism Association (ATA) discussed during the workshops in Mtirala National Park issues and problems of tourism development in the Protected Areas and Reservations in Georgia.