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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
GEORGIA has established herself as a trendy tourist destination across the Arabian Gulf region, said Ambassador of Georgia to Qatar HE Ekaterine Meiering-Mikadze.
The ambassador cited reasons such as Georgia being ranked as one the safest countries globally an important factor which draws a lot of the female travellers.
In a recent interview with Qatar Tribune on the growing popularity of Georgia as a holiday destination for many residents in Qatar and other countries in the Gulf, the ambassador attributed it to the proximity of Georgia to the region which is less than three hours by air and the visa free requirement enjoyed by GCC citizens as well as residents. She also underscored the healthy competition among carriers offering frequent flights to Georgia.
"Georgia is well connected with all aviation hubs of the region. Qatar Airways has been flying to Tbilisi since 2011, now providing 11 flights per week from Doha. With the other carriers like Fly Dubai, Air Arabia and Gulf Air, there is enough competition that benefits travellers. Also, Georgia is a rich country in terms of cuisine, entertainment options, city life and the mix of mountains and sea, sports and culture, health and leisure. All these attract tourists from the Gulf countries, not only GCC citizens but also residents, many of whom look at Georgia as a destination for future investments or retirement," she explained.
On the trend of tourist visits from Qatar, the ambassador said that the figures were still modest as per the last year's records of Qataris travelling to the country. However, she said they have been receiving a lot of positive feedback and testimonials from local travellers through social media.
"In 2016, the number of Qatari tourists to Georgia was still comparatively modest at 1,500 though this was a good start given the size of the citizens' population. But the trend is clear. We are looking at impressive annual growth rates of around 200 percent among Qatari citizens travelling to Georgia."
The ambassador continued:"As for expatriates living in Qatar or other GCC countries and travelling through Doha on Qatar Airways, the Georgian arrivals statistics register them under their citizenship, not their place of residence. We, therefore, do not have a precise survey of expatriates from Qatar. However, taking into account the ratio of residents to citizens in Qatar as well as travel habits of expatriates, we are confident that expatriates from Qatar travelling to Georgia constitute at least 10 times more than the Qatari citizens."
The ambassador also mentioned the sustainable tourism strategy developed by the Georgian government which aims to position her country as a premier, year-round, high-quality tourism destination centering on its unique cultural and natural heritage with high-class customer service by 2025.
According to the ambassador, the number of international tourists visiting Georgia has exceeded six million. Moreover, the Georgian government initiated a multi-million USD project underpinning Georgia's tourism potential by introducing high-level musical events and bringing renowned performers to the country.
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24/04/2017
1863