UN World Tourism Organization Academy to open in Tbilisi

The UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) Academy will be opened in Tbilisi, UN WTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, Report informs referring to Georgian media.

“After the pandemic, the world and the tourism industry have changed a lot. Today Georgia is a very good place for investment. It is very good to invest in hotels and tourism infrastructure, but nothing will happen without people. Together with the Georgian government, we plan to open the Academy of the UN World Tourism Organization in Tbilisi,” Pololikashvili said.

There is a great demand for tourism education in Georgia, and investing in Georgia in this direction is very profitable, he added.

“Today tourism makes a big contribution to the economy of Georgia. It is a place of investment and a country where one should go on a vacation,” Pololikashvili said.

The number of visits by international travelers to Georgia increased by 43% in January-September 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 5.6 million people.

According to the National Tourism Administration, figures have recovered 76.9% compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, when the country was at its tourism peak.

Of the total number of visits, 3.6 million were tourist visits, which is 35.2% more than in 2022. Georgia restored its 2019 indicators by 91.6%.

In addition, as of the third quarter alone, 2.7 million international travelers visited Georgia, which is 19.4% more than in July-September 2022, and 80.2% more than in the pre-pandemic period.