Construction of a 4-season balneological resort in line with the international standards is planned in Shovi. The investment value of the project is USD 50 million. Shovi Resort and company Simetria started implementation of the project in 2016.
Irakli Pailodze, Shovi Project Manager expressed readiness to start preparatory work in the resort for spring of 2022, but Shovi resort development plan should be reached in the local municipality at the first stage.
The investor has already spent USD 0.5 million on the development of the resort concept by the international company Ernst and Young. This plan was developed by the state in coordination with Oni Development Plan and has been awaiting public discussion in Oni Municipality for several years. However, the final conclusion on the resort master plan has not been agreed yet.
"After making the necessary changes to the resort development master plan in 2019, it was delivered to Oni Municipality for public discussions in 2020. Until last fall, the project was not considered for subjective reasons, although now proactive work has begun after the self-government elections. Oni Municipality Mayor and Council members agreed that the resort's general plan is negotiable, the resort's general plan was presented to the population, a working group has been set up and they are waiting for statements and opinions from the population to discuss and make a decision”, - explained Irakli Pailodze.
The authors of the project note that during this period they have also made significant progress in terms of cooperation with the resort owners. According to them, 90% of the entire territory of Shovi is owned by the companies "Sunset Shovi", "Pansionati Racha" and "Shovi Resort". They agreed on the issues of integrated development of the resort, which highlighted the common interest of the private sector in the communication process with all stakeholders.
"The main owners of Shovi Resort, who own 90% of the resort area, signed a memorandum of understanding in March, where all parties share a unified development plan for the resort. The resort acts as a single entity in the process of communication with the state, central government and the population, "- said the project manager.
Company Simetria notes that the creation of a European-level resort and the implementation of the investment project will be possible only with the approval of its unified development plan.
"If the processes were completed in the fall of 2021, we would be able to start working on the project in the spring according to our conditional plan. More than USD 0.5 million is required for the design. At this stage, it is not advisable to spend money on the design of the resort before the agreement of the General Plan. Design work will begin only when the general plan agrees. If it is conditionally agreed in the first two quarters of 2022, then it will take 9-12 months from the date of the agreement to prepare the complete project documentation. We will be able to start the works on the spot only after that. We are fighting to ensure that the development of the resort is not chaotic, but with a unified plan,” said the project manager.
According to Simetria, the cost of the investment project of "Shovi Resort" is about USD 50 million. The project "Shovi Resort" includes the construction of a 130-room high-class hotel, which will include restaurants, spa and balneological zone, entertainment open and closed spaces; it also includes about 30 cottages for family and group vacations, Sun Set Shovi, a 150-room hotel, Sanatorium Racha, a 100-room hotel, and up to 10 cottages.
The daily workload of the resort Shovi should be 1,450 people, which means attracting 60,000 middle- and high-income tourists annually. The authors of the project say that its implementation will create up to 300 jobs in the region.
