“Georgia should play a role of the hub in Transcaucasia, for which, apart from its natural location, practical steps are required,” Shota Burjanadze, founder of the Restaurant Association, said in air of the radio station Commersant.
According to him, despite Georgia’s geographical location and legislation provide great potential for the business tourism development, it is necessary to take effective steps, which first of all implies a high level of tolerance.
"Business meetings are often held in countries where tolerance is highly valued, that is, in countries where people are treated without regard to their nationality." The former republics of the Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine find in Georgia a springboard for finding a common language. Unfortunately, we are losing this role. Georgia must become a hub in the Caucasus, for which practical steps are to be taken.
In this case, the main contribution to business tourism is made by the hotel business while for the restaurant business this topic is less relevant. For hotels, this is important not only in terms of the number of rooms, but also in terms of income from conference halls; apart from rooms, hotels earn money through conference hall rentals.
"Georgia has the opportunity to develop business tourism, given its geographical location and legislation, but if we become a totalitarian country, there will not be a single Georgian left in the country, not to mention tourists," Shota Burjanadze stresses.
