Tourism : the President of the Republic of Georgia with Dailynewsfortravelers

In addition to her visit to Paris to meet Emmanuel Macron and on the eve of meeting Angela Merkel and Salome Zurabishvili, the President of the Republic of Georgia took the time to respond to the invitation of the European American Press Club to talk to about ten journalists. For questions about Tourism in Georgia, Dailynewsfortravelers was there.

A personal adventure out of the ordinary

It is interesting to recall the brilliant but surprising career path of the newly elected head of Georgia. Daughter of a Georgian political exile refugee in France, Salome was born in France and studied brilliantly in Paris. After Sciences Po, she passed the Foreign Affairs exam, where she graduated as a major.
She holds many positions in French diplomacy and one day in 2003 she was appointed French Ambassador to Georgia. And it was then that the then Georgian President asked Jacques Chirac for permission to allow her to enter the Georgian government as Minister of Foreign Affairs. What President Chirac accepts by specifying « This is only a temporary loan…« . Never seen before!

Then it takes place in Georgian political life. And on December 18, 2018, after renouncing her dual nationality, she won the presidential election, the first woman to hold this position.

A little geopolitics

Of course, there has been much discussion about Georgia’s relations with its powerful Russian neighbour because since the manual militari annexation in 2008 of two neighbouring regions by the Russian army, diplomatic relations have officially been broken. But for the Georgian President, even if it takes a long time, these territories will one day return to their countries of origin, but, and she insists on this point, only through diplomatic channels with the support of Europe and the United States.

And as proof that tensions only concern geopolitics, the President reminds us that the Russians form the largest contingent of tourists in her country. Many wealthy Russians come to Georgia to organize their weddings and the purchase of holiday apartments, especially on the shores of the Black Sea, is very popular among Putin’s compatriots.

Personally, I wonder if, perhaps, this would only be a discreet way to keep your savings away from any intervention by the Russian administration and at the same time enjoy them easily?

The tourist attractions of Georgia

The President recalled that Georgia is « a country of Christian values and a country of tolerance« . One only has to drive around Georgia to see the number of Orthodox churches and monasteries that cover the country. It is a rich aspect of Georgian architectural heritage, with many others. The history of Georgia goes back to the dawn of time, Roman ruins, medieval fortresses, Ottoman houses and baths… It has the oldest cultivated vines in the world.

And here wine is an institution at least as important as here, with varied grape varieties and terroirs, and an ancestral production tradition.

The climate in the plain areas is relatively mild, the latitude is that of Nice, and the land is rich allowing a beautiful fruit and vegetable agriculture giving a traditional cuisine full of delicious surprises.

Gastronomy is also considered here as an art of living based on good fresh local products with recipes that are passed on from generation to generation.

For Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia must develop its European tourism by preserving its two most famous points, the beaches of the Black Sea and the wine-growing regions, but by presenting all its other assets.

The development of its potential is underway with the development of activities such as trekking, skiing, climbing and mountain sports, hiking, fishing (there are superb trout rivers) and the creation of circuits to discover the historical heritage.

And then there is the omnipresent nature with superb landscapes that will surprise you