The executive director of Tbilisi Balneological SPA Resort talks about the potential of Georgia as a balneological tourist hub that needs advertising internationally. Salome Kvavilashvili said in an interview with "Business Course" that medical and wellness tourism can bring a lot of income to Georgia, though Georgia is not known in this segment and business needs the help of the state in this regard.
"Balneological resorts are not advertised. As for Tbilisi Balneological SPA Resort, we advertise it only with our resources. Believe me, it is quite difficult, the state should invest resources in this regard. At similar resorts in Budapest, Germany, 95% of tourists come to get the same unique treatments that we have. These are mineral water procedures, applications of volcanic mud and etc. The world has moved to balneo treatments, so we really need activity in this direction", says Salome Kvavilashvili.
According to her, 85-90% of Tbilisi balneological resort guests are Georgian citizens, and about 10-15% are tourists. Tbilisi Balneological Resort is mainly visited by post-Soviet countries, France and Germany for healing and rejuvenating procedures.
At the moment, a low-class hotel is operating at the Tbilisi balneological resort. However, the executive director of the resort notes, that a 4-star, 140-room, international brand hotel will start operating on the site in a year and a half. The hotel brand and the amount of investment are not named at this stage.
