Grants revive tourism

Tourism development is very important for Georgia but immediately after August war between Georgia and Russia the summer tourism season was very quiet. However three months later Georgia is safe for visitors and with the support of our foreign friends the tourism business continues to develop in this country.

Under the slogan ‘Putting Abastumani back on Georgia’s Tourism Map’ the CHF International Georgia Employment and Infrastructure Initiative SME support project, implemented by USAID, supports tourism development in Abastumani. Abastumani, one of the most wonderful places in Georgia, is famous for its mineral waters, well-respected hot sulphur spring baths and its clear mountain air. It is situated on the southern slopes of Meskheti Ridge, 28 kilometres from Akhaltsikhe, about 1,300 meters above sea level.

The most visited place in Abastumani is the Astrophysical Observatory founded in 1932 and characterized by the unique astro-climatic conditions in which astronomical observations can be made there. Since 2007, when the Georgian National Observatory became a structural unit of the Ilia Chavchavadze State University, the University and Government have taken substantial measures to refurbish the Observatory and use it as a research and teaching facility. One of the main supporters of this rehabilitation is the USAID project, which has given significant assistance to renovate and rehabilitate the 140 cm refractor building housing the refractor telescope and museum.

The fact that tourism has not stopped developing during the August war is confirmed by the opening of numbers of guesthouses and hotels in different parts of Georgia. Hotel Kapa in Abastumani is one of the best examples. Gocha and Nato Kapanadze say that after repairing the hotel their income has increased by 25% over previous years. The family opened the hotel in 2004 but as they did not have a heating system they could receive guests only in summer. This made the Kapanadze family apply to the Competitive Grants Programme announced by USAID which solved their problem immediately.

“I am very happy and grateful to USAID that it gave us the chance to repair our hotel in order to receive guests in any season. I am happy that even during the late Autumn guests are still coming to our hotel and spending some days here,” Manager of the Kapa Hotel Nato Kapanadze told The Messenger, adding that if it had not been for this project it would have been hard for them to renovate the hotel so quickly.

The Kapa Hotel has ten comfortable rooms at prices ranging from GEL 60-80 per person, including 3 meals a day. The rooms are equipped with digital SAT TV. Those who would like to spend a few days in Abastumani and see the wonderful views and breathe fresh air can visit find detailed information at www.hotelkapa.ge.

Just in front of the hotel the guests can visit the Abastumani Tourism Association which is focused on enabling visitors to take full advantage of the natural and cultural heritage of the area. It also works with locals engaged in the tourism industry to provide collective representation and provides accurate information on services, guides, pricing, contacts and booking procedures. For Its helpful website is at www.ata.ge.

As Georgia is famous for its cuisine Cafe Ojakhuri offers Abastumani visitors delicious Georgian national cuisine. Once an outdoor cafe that was visited by guests only in summer, due to the SME support project’s grants programme it has been able to transform its outdoor cafe into an indoor one. The owners say their income has thus increased significantly. The hostess promises guests delicious food with excellent service and quality. “Our strategy was simple. We aimed to succeed by giving people excellent and interesting food in an entertaining environment with good service. While we are not striving to be the lowest-priced cafe we are aiming to offer exceptional food at reasonable prices,” hostess Liana Zazashvili said.



Vardzia

The sun has risen on an early November morning and the cliffs have become a strange colour between blue and grey. You are in Nakalakevi, about 25 kilometres from Aspindza region, on the right bank of the river Mtkvari. As you go out of your room you find yourself in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. Just one guesthouse stands in the middle of the cliffs. Tirebi guesthouse is a one floor hotel with four bedrooms, well equipped and with extremely wonderful views. As the owner of the guesthouse explained, he and his spouse pondered what to call the hotel for a long time before deciding on Tirebi, which is the name of the blue cliffs standing behind the house.

Sergo and Marina Maisuradze decided to open their guesthouse after seeing lots of tourists in the region, but they did not have enough money to undertake a full reconstruction. One day they decided to apply to the project and received the grant that enabled them to repair the building. Mr. Maisuradze says that his wish came true thanks to the American people, and that the main thing they gave him was the inspiration to do more and more. In spite of the fact his guesthouse is complete and he can receive guests at any time, Sergo says that he has not fulfilled all his plans, although he is sure that as spring and summer come he will continue to renovate his guesthouse, garden and yard.

Sergo and Marina have two small children, 6 year old Giorgi, born on the Giorgoba holiday, and 5-year-old Mariam, also born on the Mariamoba holiday. Sergo says that his business will be inherited by his children one day but until then it should have everything the modern guesthouse needs.

“The project did great things; it helped me and my family and supported our goal of creating a business to develop tourism in this region. I am really very grateful. I always had the wish to open such a guesthouse and serve my guests but it needed serious finance. Today, you see that my wish came true, I am happy,” Maisuradze said.

Until the Tirebi guesthouse and another, Taoskari, opened there were no places to stay in Nakalakevi, which is located near the ancient cave complex of Vardzia and has the Mtkvari River on the left side. Vardzia is a famous historic site with lots of monuments, ancient inscriptions and healing sulphur springs. It is located 1250 metres above sea level. The climate is dry and the air is very fresh. Once a restaurant, now Taoskari is a modern guesthouse, offering guided tours for 25-30 GEL per day. It is surrounded by a fascinating array of historical sites such as ancient ruins, castles and churches.

Brian Husler, County Director for Georgia for CHF International, told The Messenger: “You can tell people that Georgia still exists and it’s still a great place to visit because of the diversity. You have the skiing in Bakuriani, the caves at Vardzia, the observatory in Abastumani and the biggest National Park in Europe in Borjomi. Does Georgia have a future in tourism? I would certainly say something – yes it has.”