On July 24, with the support of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara, the Hilton Batumi Hotel hosted a large-scale conference on the challenges of the tourism sector, bringing together the representatives and the experts of the hospitality industry and SMEs from Ajara, Tbilisi and other regions of Georgia.  

Prior to the conference, the launch of the of a special issue of Where.ge/Ajara and the July issue of Entrepreneur Magazine Georgia took place, where the assessment of the tourism potential of Ajara and the city of Batumi is outlined as the main topic. Both of the magazines were published with the support of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara.

Small and medium entrepreneurs had a chance to listen to and familiarize themselves with the incentives of the government and private sector on tourism development and to hear the experiences of professionals operating in the field:

• Sulkhan Glonti, Deputy Finance and Economy Minister of Ajara

Tourism industry as a major factor for the economic growth in the region of Ajara. New Vision of the tourism policy. Challenges and potential.

• Maia Tsereteli, Executive Director at KMS Georgia

Importance of personnel qualification as the defining factor of customer satisfaction. What should small family type hotels take into account?

• Konstantin Megrelishvili, Managing Partner at Brainstorm.ge

Brand and non-brand hotels? What are the superiorities of the brand? How can the local player compete with international giants?

• Torsten Well, General Manager at Hilton Batumi

The success of the Hilton brand. What can small and medium players learn from the leader of the industry?

• Nikoloz Gogochuri, Nika Rostomashvili, Founders of VREX

Virtual reality as an effective technological tool for tourist products sales

• Tinatin Zoidze, Head of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara

Ajara as a four-season resort. Strategies for the development and promotion of tourism in the region

• Daria Kholodilina, Founder of Trails and Wines, Blogger, DARIKO

Why aren't tourists visiting you? Analysis of typical mistakes

• Nini Mchedlishvili, Co-founder of #SpendYourSummerInGeorgia

A social campaign which brings changes

• Irakli Lomidze, Founder and Director at KOHI.GE

Quality and cheap wooden cottages for the quick development of tourism in the regions of Georgia

The theme of tourism has been at the top of the agenda in Georgia for the past few years, but gained special popularity amid the recent developments in the country and the decision of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to temporarily ban direct flights from Russia to Georgia. The government and private sector are sparing no efforts to minimize the economic impact due to the loss of travelers from Russia by launching various social campaigns that show off Georgia’s natural, cultural and historic treasures in the very best way and call on foreigners to spend their summer in Georgia.

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya