200 journalists and bloggers tell the world about Georgia

By the end of July, up to 200 journalists and bloggers will visit Georgia and tell the world about it.

The information was released by Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. The ministry says that the journalists and bloggers were invited by Georgia’s National Tourism Administration (GNTA).

The visitors will arrive from the United States, Germany, Holland, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, as well as from the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The crews will visit various parts of Georgia and film resorts, tourist attractions, prepare videos, reports, and articles about Georgia as a tourist attraction and a safe country, with a unique culture and diverse nature.

Within the framework of the project, Georgia’s Minister of Economy, Natia Turnava met a journalist of the Lonely Planet, Benjamin Kemper.

Kemper is in Georgia to study Georgia’s wine tourism and prepare an article about it. As the ministry informs, Lonely Planet is working on a guidebook about European Wine where Georgia also has a special place.

“My ultimate goal is to bring American and English readers to Georgia -a wine country. It is a great country with wonderful people, delicious food and wines that are one of the most exclusive wines I have ever seen in different countries of the world,” Benjamin Kemper said.

As Georgia’s Ministry of Economy reported earlier, National Geographic and MIR Corporation will also help Georgia attract more tourists.

The US largest tour operator, the MIR Corporation, which has been working in Georgia for a long time, and is engaged in local tourism markets in USA, Canada, New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries, is launching a joint project on preparation of travel tours with National Geographic. Users of this service will be citizens of North American countries, New Zealand and other English-speaking countries. The company will offer tourists packages tailored to their requirements.

Georgian tourism faces challenges after the Russian President Vladimir Putin imposed an embargo on direct flights with Georgia, which significantly reduced the inflow of tourists and visitors in the country. In such times, implementation of a joint project with the US tour operators and inviting 200 bloggers and journalists is significant for Georgia.

After July 8, around 155 thousand Russian people are not able to use the tickets they had already purchased.3.5 thousand people purchased their tours to Georgia from the travel agencies in Russia and now their trips have also been abolished.

Russian tourists comprise 25% of Georgia’s whole tourism market. After the ban, the economists expect the country’s economy will see the $700 million loss.