The Tbilisi Silk Road Forum is an “important” and “timely” event in light of the challenges in the Black Sea Region, Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, said at the opening event of the fourth edition of the event on Thursday.
Pololikashvili also welcomed the Georgian Government’s decision to introduce visa-free travel for Chinese citizens, saying the initiative would help increase the number of Chinese tourists in the country.
China is the most important market both in terms of scale and profitability. […] Many countries invest to attract Chinese tourists, and in this case it was done with a simple move, and I am sure it will bring considerable benefits to the Georgian economy”, he noted.
While delivering his speech about the dynamics of recovery in the tourism sector in the post-pandemic period worldwide, Pololikashvili mentioned tourist flows in Georgia were quickly returning to figures of the pre-pandemic 2019.
The UNWTO official also said developments taking place in the private sector in Georgia by noting establishment of new companies, and opening of hotels and new tourist facilities would “ultimately benefit people employed in the sector”.
Over 2,000 delegates and guests from 63 countries from both governmental and private sectors are participating in the international event hosted in the Georgian capital.
Ten thematic panel sessions will be hosted on the first day of the Forum, with the day used for discussions of Georgia’s investment opportunities and B2B meetings.
