Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Thursday said the Government was launching a set of “complex steps” to develop resorts across the country, in opening remarks for the first international conference Trends and Challenges of Sustainable Development of Resorts, hosted in the capital city of Tbilisi.

Davitashvili told the event “large-scale projects” for regions were underway, with ₾1 billion ($0.31bln) set to be spent over five years for improvement of resort infrastructure and services on the initiative of the country’s Prime Minister.

The Minister also highlighted the significance of “correct” use of the regional tourism sector’s potential and the state’s role in the process.

Georgia has a great natural and cultural heritage, which allows us to restore old resorts and develop new resort areas, in order to ultimately create more value in the tourism sector”, he said, adding the development was “one of the priority directions of our country”.

He pointed to the 2022 establishment of the Resort Development Agency for the purpose of using “appropriate spatial plans” for developing the locations, and told the conference it has studied over 200 resorts and locations over the past year.

As a result, 60 locations with relatively higher potential were selected for technical and economic feasibility studies by internationally recognised consulting companies”, Davitashvili noted.

The Minister announced a separate working meeting with the business sector was planned “in the near future” on investment potential of selected locations.

Officials, experts and members of state, private, international and local organisations participated in the conference in Tbilisi.