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Levan Davitashvili: This year, the number of visitors to Georgia’s protected areas has been increased by 8%
At the joint sitting of the parliamentary committee, the candidate for the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili underlined the importance of issues related to the development of protected areas in the country.
Levan Davitashvili stated, that despite the problems facing the tourism sector in the country, the number of visitors to protected areas increased by 8% and the household income was increased by 30% in the first nine months of 2019, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
In his speech, the ministerial candidate has been focused on the increase of the protected areas in the country. Last year, the area was increased by 11%, although, it will be increased by 100,000 hectares in the future. It is noteworthy, that 4 protected areas of Georgia were first nominated to include in the list of UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites.
Levan Davitashvili noted, that the Agency of Protected Areas is actively working to arrange eco-tourism infrastructure and GEL 20 million has already been spent in this direction in recent years.
At the joint sitting of the parliamentary committee, the ministerial candidate declared, that, the development of protected areas will have a positive impact on the local community, furthermore, the increased number of tourists will contribute to improve the quality of life and create good living conditions for local population.