Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

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Levan Davitashvili: "Effective implementation of the strategy and action plan is important for ecotourism development "

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Levan Davitashvili and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mrs. Natia Turnava signed the Memorandum of Cooperation, which embraces formulation and implementation of ecotourism strategy and action plan of Georgia.

Under the frame of the Memorandum, the parties express their readiness to support the implementation of  ecotourism strategy and action plan in the country.

The preparation activities for respective documents started in 2020  with the involvement of the following agencies: the National Tourism Administration, LEPL National Forest Agency, LEPL Agency of Protected Areas and Georgian Ecotourism Development Association. The strategy was developed through financial assistance of the German government and technical support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).

"In 2020, amidst the pandemic, ecotourism became very popular, as the rapidly growing segment of tourism sector worldwide, including Georgia. I believe this trend will continue in the future as well. Coordinated efforts taken by the state are crucial for the development of ecotourism area, as well as effective  use of this potential, regarding forest ecosystems and protected areas. Development of ecotourism will enable us to attract more local tourists and foreign visitors, who will bring more income and benefits to our population "- said Mr. Davitashvili.

The strategy aims to promote development of ecotourism during all four seasons, identify and preserve historical-cultural and natural monuments, raise environmental awareness among tourists and locals, create niche products, develop local traditional production, carry out educational activities etc..

The full target market analysis was carried out in the process of drafting the strategic plan, embracing meetings with the stakeholders from both state and international, non-governmental organizations as well as business sector. The public discussion was conducted in a virtual format.

As part of the planned activities, an interagency council will be established, which will coordinate efforts among stakeholders, facilitate strategy execution and ensure performance monitoring and reporting.