The FINANCIAL — While holiday makers in Georgia are looking forward to the upcoming summer 2008, restless times are ahead for the local travel agencies.
According to Georgian Express Travel, the local tour operator, the company expects to sell around 700 air tickets and 150 full package offers. 20 people have already made advance reservations. “Mostly Georgians travel to Turkey, Egypt, Dubai, Italy and the Czech Republic. Turkey however remains the most demanded direction,” Tsitsi Petriashvili, Georgian Express Travel Tour Operator, told The FINANCIAL.
A week’s tour in Turkey costs on average USD 800.
According to Petriashvili, in 2007 the company sold around 600 air tickets and provided 80 clients with full package services.
“We also offer internal tours in almost all regions and the demand is growing both from local and international tourists. A one week tour’s cost starts at GEL 200 a person,” noted Petriashvili.
As Petriashvili claimed, due to the Easter holiday, the demand for the Israeli direction is expected to rise. This year the tour price will start from EUR 750 on average.
Georgian Express Travel provides its clients with travel insurance and last year almost all of their customers were insured.
“Indonesia is the most expensive destination out of the places Georgians go to for holidays. In general the most luxurious resort is considered Taiti,” Siko Gegiadze, Director of Travel Club, told The FINANCIAL.
1,700 people travelled abroad in 2006 and 2,100 people in 2007 via Travel Club.
“Georgian tourists mostly travel to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, France and Spain via our agency,” stated Gegiadze.
Travel Club has internal tours in Kakheti, Kazbegi, Gori-Uplistsikhe and Vardzia. All these regions are an equal success both with Georgian and foreign tourists.
“This year an innovation offered to travellers by our agency is chartered flights to Tunis. Georgians mostly travel to Turkey in the summer and Egypt in the winter. We provide travel insurance to absolutely all passengers,” said Gegiadze.
Tours on Easter holydays at Travel Club cost GEL 2,500 per person.
Travel Club predicts that 3,000 people will use their services for international tours this year. The company has already received 200 advance bookings.
“The most demanded tours are ones in Turkey, Egypt, Cuba, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Spain”.
“We have different types of specific internal tours in the whole of Georgia. In the mountains of Georgia: in Dusheti, Pshevi, Khevsureti, Svaneti and Racha, and cultural tours: in Kakheti, Qartli, Achara and Samegrelo. There is big demand on internal tours mainly from Foreigners,” Zura Naroushvili, Director of InterContinental, Tourism Agency, told The FINANCIAL.
“Holiday prices at popular Georgian resorts on a 10 day package start from GEL 350. Easter holyday tour prices start from EUR 100 per person”.
“Exotic countries are luxury places to go on holidays as air tickets are so expensive,” said Naroushvili.
“Our company has signed contracts with many leading travel agencies. The company provides travel insurance for tours abroad as well as for internal tours,” Giorgi Iashvili, Sales Manager, Imedi L, told The FINANCIAL.
Travel insurance of the insurance company Imedi L. Int. includes compensation of unpredictable medical expenses abroad within the limit of EUR 50 also repatriation and travel costs of close relatives.Insurance price ranges from GEL 14 to GEL 115 depending on the client’s age and the duration of the tour.
“Our company has been providing travel insurance from the very first day of its establishment, which is since September 2005. We cooperate with 21 tourist agencies throughout Tbilisi,” George Bujiashvili, IC GROUP Marketing Manager, told The FINANCIAL.
The price for insurance policy depends on the duration of the tour and varies between GEL 7 and GEL 100. 1,965 insurance policies were sold in 2006 and 4,444 policies in 2007.
“Insurance policies insure costs of tour and health. A tourist can insure their health and also risks of lost or delayed luggage, and fly delays. Tour insurance covers 100% ER expenses. 11,067 travel insurance policies were sold in 2006 by BCI. Since December 2007, after the merger with Aldagi, 29,760 policies have been sold,” Maiko Ivchenko, PR Manager of Aldagi BCI, told The FINANICAL.
According to Ivchenko the company has single and multi use policies. Economy, Business and VIP insurance are different from limited insurance packets. Aldagi BCI cooperates with 121 tourist agencies. The cost of one day’s insurance is GEL 1. Economy class – USD 5,000; Business class – USD 50,000; VIP class – EUR 50,000.
The cost of compensation: for late luggage – USD 150; lost luggage – USD 20, and one day flight delays – USD 70.
The tourism season in Adjara will be opened on May 12
“The tourism season in Adjara will be opened on May 12”, Temur Diasamidze, the Head of the Department of Tourism and Resorts in Adjara told the FINANCIAL.
“Currently preparatory works are being constructed in the region like the rehabilitation program of Old Batumi, arranging the whole historical part of the city. Batumi Boulevard is being extended to a length of 5 km and decorated. 6 May Park is also being expanded and renovated, construction of the Zoo has been completed and construction of the aquarium is still in process.
“Full renovation of the dancing fountain at the main entrance of 6 May Park is under reconstruction, 2 new museums have been built and 3 new ones – rehabilitated.
“Significant activities were carried out in Batumi for improving the local infrastructure. Street separating lines were constructed on five streets in the town. 23 streets and sidewalks were reconstructed and decorated.
“Three information centres are being opened in Batumi and Sarpi. Information centres will be opened in new modern buildings. The old centres will be relocated to Keda and Shuakhevi regions. In April an eco-tourist information centre will be opened in Kobuleti, near the Ispaani marshland”.
“250,000 people arrived in Adjara in 2006 and this number was increased up to 352,100 in 2007 including 113,000 foreigners”.
“Construction of many significant projects started in 2007 in Batumi. These included: Waterpark; Hotel Complex in the corner of Gorgasali and Javakhishvili Streets; Trade Centre on 109 Bagrationi Street; Car Park on 88 ERA Street; Sports and Health Complex on Khimshiashvili Street. An aquarium will also be opened this year.
“Many Hotel Complexes will be built as follows: on the ex-territory of Hotels Meskheti and Medea, a Hotel Complex on Batusi Territory, a Hotel Complex of Company Arsi, a Hotel and Business Centre on the ex-territory of the stadium, Hotel Complex Benze, Hotel Complex Belle-Vue, Hotel Complex RADISSON, Hotel Complex SHERATON, Hotel Georgian Palace, and the Hotel and Sport Complex BatumiPlaza. A new airport was opened in Batumi in 2007”.
“In February 2008 the new Hotel Istanbul was opened in the centre of Batumi employing 35 people. There are 30 rooms in the hotel meeting high standards”.
“Two new hotel-houses were also opened in Batumi in February.
In May, Hotel “Georgia Palace” will be opened in Kobuleti. There are 156 rooms in the hotel and it has a health (spa) profile”.
“7 new hotels will be opened in Batumi, Kobuleti and Khelvachauri before the end of 2008. Night clubs, restaurants, bungalows, discos, etc. will be working at the seaside throughout the season”.
“Investments made by Kazakhs were very important for Adjara and for the whole of Georgia as well”, Diasamidze says. “In 2009 construction of new hotels on the territories of former Medea and Meskheti hotels will be completed, which will then be operated by the most popular brands of the world”.
According to him, through the request of the investors, Europe’s most leading consulting companies participated in the development of the projects. With their help all projects have worked out more specific financial and marketing outlooks and therefore there is no question that the projects will achieve success after implementation.
“Of course we are still far from ideal services, but it must be noted that the situation is improving each year. More often now the Georgian tourist industry finds itself being compared to centres of tourism like Turkey, Spain, France, Greece and Croatia.
However we have to remember that they needed 20-30 years to develop whereas we started serious activities only 3-4 years ago. The government is doing everything to develop tourism in the country, more attention is being paid to Adjara especially”.
Incomes from tourism hold 14% of Adjara’s budget
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