Easy summer destinations for Tbilisi travellers
Summer is the busiest period in terms of tourism. Here are 4 places a foreign visitor should see in Georgia, Tbilisi to experience city’s modern and traditional mix.
Narikala Fortress
Sameba or Holy Trinity Cathedral
Dry Bridge
So called Dry Bridge and everyday exhibition there reflects Georgia’s past and present. There one can see antique items dating back to centuries that will definitely attract attention. One can find there old items like a copper vase or an old dagger, or paintings reflecting contemporary Tbilisi views. If one is interested in collecting antique items, Dry Bridge is a great destination.
MoMA or Museum of Modern Art
Batumi Boulevard Development Plan
This week, Batumi Boulevard announced plans to open a tender for a company to provide functional zoning and landscaping on and around the boulevard. The boulevard is being updated in accordance with city development plans, which include preserving the historic parts of the boulevard and expanding its footprint, with particular emphasis on preserving its character and nearby historic buildings.
The Batumi Boulevard was born in 1881 as a seaside park built by a German landscape artist, commissioned by the governor of Batumi. Today’s boulevard, divided into old and new parts, is approximately 7 kilometers long.
The company selected by the Batumi Boulevard will have one year to complete the work, at a cost of 435,000 GEL ($151,300). The three-part project will include research, the creation of a development plan, and the production of guidelines for the administrators of the Batumi Boulevard to follow. The project aims to produce a development plan that will preserve the landscape and architectural beauty of the old Boulevard, while establishing new recreation areas that can be enjoyed by both locals and tourists, and people of all ages and abilities. The deadline to submit a bid is August 19.
The announcement is part of a series of efforts over the past few years to update and improve the tourist infrastructure of Batumi.
In June 2016, then-Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Archil Khabadze, announced plans to invest $40 million in the development and reconstruction of the New Boulevard of Batumi. The original plan allocated 50% of the territory to tourist-recreation zones, and included the construction of hotels and other tourist-focused facilities.
32,000 square meters of the New Boulevard of Batumi was previously been put up for auction with a starting price of $2.3 million. Orbi Group Millennium Construction Company bought it for $4.3 million. More than $520 million was invested in the New Boulevard’s reconstruction in 2016.
In August 2018, the Municipal Development Fund of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), announced plans to commit $21 million to protect beaches and refurbish pedestrian bridges in the city. 12 pedestrian bridges will be constructed, and the damaged sections of the boulevard will be refurbished. The works are scheduled to be completed this year. In 2015, a similar project amounting to $20 million was also supported by the ADB.
Among all the investment and ad-hoc projects, this week’s announcement marks the beginning of a new phase of development for the Batumi Boulevard, which will be led and framed in by a development plan. The most recent Batumi Development Strategy, 2018-2021 was approved by the Batumi City Assembly in April of last year. “For the first time in the history of the municipality, we managed to develop a full 2018-2021 strategy for Batumi Municipality. This is a 240-page document, a very detailed book, for each service, in which all the measures necessary to achieve the goals set for the next four years, all the methods, timelines, budget, etc. are broken down into detail,” said Batumi Mayor Lasha Komakhidze.
In the nearby town of Kobuleti, earlier this month renovations were completed on a two-kilometer stretch of coastline. The Municipal Development Fund of Georgia headed the renovation works, which cost GEL 9 million ($3.13 mln). The World Bank funded GEL 2 million ($70,000) of the total cost, with the state budget covering the rest. The rehabilitation works in Kobuleti began in 2017, but were delayed. The contract with the original construction company was cancelled after public outrage at the delays, and, ultimately, the State Construction Company completed the project.
Source: www.georgiatoday.ge, By Samantha Guthrie
Image source: In Your Pocket
Campaign ‘Spend Your Summer in Georgia’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree prohibiting Russian airlines from carrying Russian citizens to Georgia from July 8. Putin has ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to help the citizens of Russia, who are traveling to Georgia, to return to Russia. Moreover, some recommendations have been issued for Russian tour operators, calling on them to refrain from selling tours in Georgia.
Subsequently, Russian airlines will stop selling air tickets to Georgia from July 8. According to Russian media, Smart, Pabeda, Red Drive and S 7 have already stopped selling tickets.
In response to the ban and the possible threats to the Georgian tourism industry, Georgian activists together with businessmen and international society have launched the campaign ‘Spend Your Summer in Georgia’. The campaign aims at popularizing Georgia as a travel destination to tackle the possible difficulties due to the decreased number of incoming Russian tourists. Besides, Russian tourists have encouraged their Georgian friends by saying that they will find other ways to reach Georgia.
Georgian airline companies are also launching Russia-Armenia-Georgia flights to help Russian tourists enter Georgia. Georgian businessman Mamuka Khazaradze is ready to cover 10 flights for Ukrainian tourists to support the Georgian tourism industry. Every day local as well as international support is getting stronger and stronger.
The ban was followed by the cancellation of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy. The assembly was led by the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, Sergei Gavrilov, a deputy of the Russian Duma from the Communist Party. Angered by the presence of Sergei Gavrilov in Georgia, citizens gathered at the Parliament building in Tbilisi to protest Russian occupation in Georgia.
Source: www.Georgianjournal.ge
Great News: Black Eyed Peas will perform in Georgia
Black Eyed Peas, an American musical group will visit Georgia this summer. The concert will take place at Black Sea Arena in Shekvetili, Guria (located on the eastern Black Sea coast) on the 16th of June. The event is supported by Check in Georgia. Black Eyed Peas arrives in Georgia as a part of their “Masters of the Sun Vol. 1” studio album tour.
The Black Eyed Peas consists of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo. In the beginning, the group was established as an alternative hip hop group and subsequently changed their musical sound to pop and dance-pop music. The group has sold an estimated 76 million records (35 million albums and 41 million singles), making them one of the world’s best-selling groups of all time.
Check in Georgia covers series of cultural and sports events that will be held in Tbilisi and other regions of Georgia. The project will be held every single year and will become more and more diverse each time. The main goal of the project is to make Georgia a cultural center, during the year by attracting a large number of tourists.
source: Georgianjournal.ge
10 Reasons why you should visit Georgia
Cradle of Wine – It has been archaeologically proven that the roots of Georgian viticulture are between 9000 and 7000 BC.
A unique Alphabet – There are just 14 independent alphabets in the world and Georgian is one of them.
UNESCO heritage sites – Our current UNESCO heritage sites include the ancient capital city of Mtskheta, the massive cathedral complexes of Bagrati and Gelati, and the mountain region of Svaneti.
Europe’s highest settlement in Georgia – Ushguli is recognized as the highest settlement in Europe, set the altitudes between 2086 and 2200 meters above sea level.
First European civilization – Recent excavations of Dmanisi have revealed and extraordinary record of the earliest homonid dispersal beyond Africa (1,75 million years ago)
Flora and Fauna – Georgia is one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world, with climatic zones ranging from subtropical to high alpine to semi- desert. Bears, lynxes and even leopards can be found in Georgia’s dense forests of Caucasian fir-the tallest trees in Europe.
Endless tourism possibilities – From adventure tourism to discovering the art of wine making, Georgia has something to delight every visitor.
Summer sea and winter ski resorts – In Georgia, you can swim in the sea as late as November. After that, why not head to the mountains, where there is guaranteed snow until late April, making Georgia a top destination for skiers and snowboarders.
Mountains and trekking – Access to peaks like Mount Shkhara (5201 Meters) and mount Ushba (4710 meters) and opportunities to stay with Svan families in villages make trekking in this region an outdoor and cultural adventure.
Rapid development – The New York Times ranked Georgia 6-th among 52 best countries for the tourism destination. Tbilisi has become one of the safest capitals in the Western World comparable to Lisbon or Vienna.