New life is being breathed into the resort of Mitarbi after a 30-year pause-the resort was officially launched today by Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and members of the Cabinet.

A new, unprecedented model of cooperation between the state and the private sector in Georgia, this is how the Head of Government characterizes the 150 million investment jointly undertaken by the state and the private sector. This cooperation has effected a ski lift and roads built and renovated by the state, and GRDC, a private company, investing in the development of hotels, apartment hotels, shops, entertainment centers, and parking areas. 

"It is a brand new model that we will apply to other resorts as well. The Kokhta-Mitarbi masterplan will be finalized in the nearest future, ensuring the resort's efficient development and putting an end to spontaneous development. This resort is embedded in gorgeous landscapes, and I believe that these investments will create a unified Borjomi-Bakuriani and Kokhta-Mitarbi complex as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world," the Prime Minister stated.

In addition, a toboggan system was installed in Bakuriani last year, and the construction of a biathlon track will launch in 2017. It is also planned to develop a new ski jumping ramp, an ice hockey rink, and a fully functioning complex sufficient to host large-scale international tournaments. 

According to the Prime Minister, all conditions for national teams to practice all year round will be in place at the resort.

"We believe that every day all year round will be busy around here, which means many new workplaces. This resort will sustain local residents in a radius of 100 kilometers, a great relief to them," Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

"It will be about reliving childhood and, at the same time, a path to the future. This line required renovation, and it will be an important connecting line for the rural population along this route," the Prime Minister said.

The Head of Government thanked every participant of this successful endeavor. These are Sandro Onoprishvili (Head of the Mountain Resort Development Company) and his team, GDRC, the Black Sea Group, which completed much work within a limited timeframe, Doppelmayr and its representatives, and local authorities that stood by throughout the project's implementation. The Prime Minister singled out the merit of First Deputy Prime Minister Dimitri Kumsishvili who "has worked hard to make this project a reality." Kvirikashvili also wished success to Giorgi Gakharia who accepted the project, and who "has much work ahead to implement the announced plan."

"This project is just the beginning of tremendous development, and 2017 will be a great year. We are facing some hard times today, but we should make sure we take every steps to make life better in the country. We take close to heart all the problems facing our citizens. We must move on, however, to make life better in the country for future generations," the Prime Minister stated.
Giorgi Kvirikashvili congratulated everyone on this day and pointed out that "it will lay the foundation of a great future."

Two new ski lifts and one platter lift were built by the Black Sea Group in the territory of Mitarbi, and ski lifts manufactured by Doppelmayr, a global leader in this industry, were installed at the resort. The Government allocated 48 million GEL to finance the Kokhta-Mitarbi ski lift development project, and a private investor will invest additional 70 million GEL.

Prime Minister's Press Office