Major development for Georgia’s western Guria region: Connecting the Black Sea with the mountains

Imagine sitting on the magnetic sand on the Black Sea coastline then catching a cable car up to a nearby mountain to enjoy an alpine adventure.

This will soon be a reality in Georgia’s western Guria region. A major infrastructural project has begun to turn the area into a place that can be enjoyed by tourists all year round.

The local government of the Ozurgeti municipality launched the ‘One step from the sea to the mountains’ campaign to promote the region’s unique potential and close proximity of the seaside to the mountains.

Gomi Mountain and the Black Sea resort towns of Ureki and Shekvetili are about 60km away from each other, which is about a one hour’s drive.

At 2,700m above sea level, Gomi Mountain is considered a summer resort area mainly for locals, as there are currently no hotels, ski lifts or other infrastructure. But this will soon change – authorities have planned several infrastructural projects that will turn the area into a full-year tourist destination.

A development plan for Gomi Mountain has already been approved, which outlined building a cable car to bring people from the Black Sea coastline to Gomi Mountain. This would increase the number of visitors to the area.

A spokesperson from Ozurgeti municipality told Agenda.ge the development plan also involved rehabilitating the water supply, connecting the mountain with a reliable source of electricity and building new hotels and new roads.

Initially, 800,000 GEL (about $342,637/ˆ304,539*) was allocated to fix the water supply systems in Gomi Mountain. Works in this capacity started this week and are expected to be completed by the end of the year. While next year, efforts will begin to supply the mountain with electricity.

The spokesperson explained when the area was connected with power and had a decent water supply it would be possible to develop hotels and other touristic infrastructure at Gomi Mountain.

After this there were plans to install ski lifts and trails on Gomi Mountain and turn it into a ski resort. The mountain typically has snow cover for eight months per year.

The development plan also outlined modernising Ureki and Shekvetili towns. Already new gas pipes were being fitted and a 4km central road had been built to cater for increasing traffic use.

Last year, the United Water Supply Company started rehabilitating water supply and sewage systems in Ureki and nearby villages thanks to a 73 million GEL (about $31.27 million/ˆ27,79 million*) loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

In autumn 2017 when the work is finished, residents of Ureki and nearby villages will have regular, 24-hour access to water.

Currently there are few guesthouses in Ureki and Shekvetili but new hotels planned for the area will offer tourists more options and places to stay. (Agenda.ge)