Winter resorts in Svaneti faced challenges over the New Year. Eka Gvelesiani, founder of Hotel Paliani in Mestia, told BMG that while snow came, emergency power outages remain a major problem, causing cancellations or guests leaving reserved rooms, especially for small businesses.
According to her, most visitors over the New Year were local, and tourist numbers were low.
“We practically have no electricity. Even during the New Year holidays, the electricity situation was very bad. Snow came, which is good, but the electricity problem remains the main challenge and causes major issues. Of course, guests are dissatisfied. Hotels have generators, but small family hotels, cottages, and small businesses face huge problems—reservations get canceled, or guests arrive and then leave.
If these old power lines aren’t replaced and the infrastructure isn’t updated, this problem will always remain. In winter, electricity demand increases because there’s no gas, so heating relies on electricity. When there’s no electricity, it’s very hard to stay warm.
Anyone who misses childhood or ‘90s nostalgia—when electricity came and we shouted in joy—can come to Mestia,” said Eka Gvelesiani, founder of Hotel “Paliani”.
