Tbilisi will host European Aviation Forum Connect on February 20-22, and what is the importance of this forum?

Conducting similar events in Georgia is very important because we can easily foresee what we can offer to airlines and people who make decisions about the implementation of flights. The companies ask a lot of questions about Georgia when we meet them abroad. When we got a chance to hold such forum in Georgia, we were happy to participate in this selection.

 

The event is scheduled for February, which is one of the most important and largest aviation forum and is held once a year in Europe. This is their anniversary event and they have been selecting for quite a long time, because Georgia has been away from their traditional locations. However, they are convinced that all those who come to Georgia will be surprised. We, of course, want to show them the potential that Georgia has. This forum will be fascinating for our economy in tourism field.

 

Many delegates will stay for a few days here, which is a positive result of the event. The number of attendees is quite representative, such large airlines as Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, Wizz Air, Ryanair, TUI France, Flydubai, etc. About 500 delegates have been registered and we are waiting for more. Basically, bilateral meetings will be held. Various types of briefings will take place simultaneously, where airlines will talk about their views on the next five years. Of course, we have excursions in Tbilisi, Mtskheta and Kakheti.

Has interest grown towards Georgia after visa liberalization? 

When visa liberalization was officially come into force, I saw rapidly changed attitude from airlines toward Georgia after few weeks at the forum, since it became more accessible for them. It is important for airline entering and exiting the country to be easy.We think that visa liberalization has had a great impact on the positive changes that are happening in the country.