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Martvili Canyon and Okatse Waterfall offer evening tours with 3D Lighting
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia inspected the 3D lighting systems , which were installed on Martvili Canyon and Okatse Waterfall to ensure lighting at night. The State Representative Mr Zviad Shalamberidze and Mr Giorgi Guguchia, Head of the National Tourism Administration, Mrs Maya Omiadze, and Chairman of the Protected Areas Agency, Mr Davit Iosebashvili accompanied the Minister in the Samegrelo region. For the first time, visitors to Georgia's protected sites, Martvili Canyon and Okatse Waterfall, can travel at night. The eco-friendly, worldwide standard 3D lighting system is safe for the environment and, at the same time, makes the trip even more beautiful."Expansion of protected areas is one of our top priorities. We added around 120,000 hectares to our protected areas last year, which is crucial for protecting nature, preserving biodiversity, and developing tourist attractions. Last year, about 900,000 tourists visited our protected areas, and this year, the number of visitors increased by 50% in just 5 months compared to the previous year. It is critical to offer tourists sufficient infrastructure, for which we are undertaking several crucial initiatives. Approximately 1,200 km of pathways are currently being constructed and will be completed by the end of the year. Last year, we launched the 3D lighting project of Martvili Canyon and Okatse waterfall, which has already been completed and visitors can see a very beautiful sight at night," said Mr. Otar Shamugia.
During the next week, the local population of Martvili municipality will be able to take evening tours with 3D Lighting to the Martvili canyon and residents of Khoni municipality to the Okatse waterfall for free. With the state support, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture is striving to develop protected areas; this year, up to GEL 22.5 million will be invested in various protected areas to develop ecotourism. Within the project's scope, 3D lighting systems on Martvili Canyon and Okatse waterfall were organized, with a total budget of 4 million GEL.