The FINANCIAL — According to the General Managers of Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel and Radisson Batumi, Michael Jacobi and Torbjoern Bodin respectively, Georgia has great potential for tourism development in the future.
The FINANCIAL — According to the General Managers of Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel and Radisson Batumi, Michael Jacobi and Torbjoern Bodin respectively, Georgia has great potential for tourism development in the future. In their interview with The FINANCIAL, the General Managers spoke about their first impressions of Georgia and the main challenges that lie ahead for the tourism and hotel industry in the next few years.
Q. You have both only recently moved to Georgia, what were your first impressions of the country?
MJ: My first impression was extremely positive. I see a country with beautiful scenery and a long and proud history and traditions. The Georgian people are very hospitable and there is great potential for future development of the country’s tourism industry.
TB: I have mainly travelled around in Adjara and it is breathtaking, with everything it has to offer – not only the Black Sea. It is a well kept secret in Europe.
Q. What is your view on the tourism potential of Georgia?
TB: I agree with Michael, there is great potential for tourism in Georgia. The country is beautiful, the people are friendly and hospitable and the combination of food, wine, scenery and culture make Georgia a very attractive, yet unexplored, tourist destination. As I mentioned earlier, Adjara has big tourism potential, offering a different experience to the continental part of Georgia.
Q. What do you feel needs to be done in order to develop tourism in our country?
MJ: We need to ensure that we continue to develop the tourism infrastructure. This includes improved accommodation facilities at some of the rural locations, improved access to the countryside and to the tourism spots around Georgia. It is currently very difficult to fly to Georgia and even if you find the right connection to get here, you will most likely arrive very late at night which can put people off booking a holiday to here. We also need to improve how we communicate ‘Tourism in Georgia’ to the international market. When travellers are in Georgia, we need to be able to offer packaged experiences. At the moment it is difficult to find tours and excursions that are easy to buy or arrange.
Q. How are your hotels contributing to the growth of tourism in Georgia?
TB: Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group with all its brands, of which Radisson Blu is one, is a global company. We have sales teams all over the world to sell our properties and the destinations where we are present. We were the first international hotel company to enter the Russian market and we are now the leading hotel operator in Russia, the CIS and the Baltics.
This large footprint in Georgia’s neighbouring countries of course also helps to drive extra tourists to our properties in Georgia. In addition, we are aware of the responsibility of developing human resources in the countries we operate in and we spend a lot of time training all our employees to ensure that tourists’ experience of service is positive. We also aim to work closely with other stakeholders in the private and public sectors to streamline and promote Georgia to the world.
Q. Where do you see the main challenges for the tourism and hotel industry in the next few years?
MJ: The main challenge in my opinion is to develop more sustainable tourism for Georgia. This requires the leaders of tourism in the country to establish a long term tourism development plan which in turn requires the full support of the Government.
Q. How would you define the current PR image of Georgia from a tourist’s point of view?
TB: Georgia is somewhat of a Hidden Secret. Unless you are from the former Soviet Union or other neighbouring countries, there is a high chance that you might not know much about this beautiful country. We can see from first time visitors that the vast majority is extremely impressed and positively surprised with what Georgia has to offer.
There is still a perception that Georgia is not a safe place, which is something we need to change urgently. However, there is light in the tunnel; in the Lonely Planet Tourist Guide, Georgia is mentioned as one of the top ten budget destinations to visit in 2013. This is a good achievement and will help put Georgia on the map internationally.
Discussion about this post