Zurab

Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, on Monday expressed his “deep gratitude” to the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili for the country’s “esteemed hosting” of ITB Berlin, a major international tourism fair running in the German capital through Thursday.

• ITB Berlin 2023: Georgia to host world’s leading tourism exhibition with “infinite hospitality”

Addressing an audience of 2,500 at the opening of the fair that showcases Georgia as its Host Country, Pololikashvili, a Georgian citizen, thanked the PM for his “personal efforts [to ensure] this historic day”, and extended the gratitude to professionals from the country who had been involved in preparatory works for the occasion. 

I would like to express my special thanks to every Georgian who works to make our country a worthy representative in the whole world”, he said, adding Georgia was a “small but beautiful country, and after seeing this fair, everyone will see why I am so proud to be Georgian”. 

Taking the stage before the UNWTO chair to launch this year’s edition of ITB Berlin, Garibashvili highlighted hospitality as a “trademark” of his country and briefed the audience about Georgia’s  “unique” natural environments and protected areas.

He also highlighted the long-running, almost 8,000-year-old tradition of winemaking on the territory of Georgia, and stressed only a small part of the history of Georgia, and the “great culture of our small country”, were being represented at ITB Berlin.

The head of the Georgian Government also pointed to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, the occupation of 20 percent of the country’s territories by Russia, and cited his country as “one of the safest for visitors” with “one of the fastest growing economies in the world” despite challenges. 

See the PM's full speech here. 

agenda.ge