Eco Tourism Development Workshop at Courtyard Marriott

On February 13, 2014, the workshop related to development of eco and biodiversity based tourism products in Protected Areas and National Parks of Georgia was held at Tbilisi Courtyard Marriott Hotel. It should be noted, that under the scope of the project”Support for Georgia in the field of protected area development” carried out with the support of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), several new touristic and educational products have been developed at five National Parks of Georgia. These products are: Canyoning and Zipline at Mtirala NP, Geo interpretational trail at Vashlovani PA, cycling routes at Tbilisi NP, Eco paddling at Kolkheti NP and educational trail for school children at Lagodekhi PA.

The meeting was attended by different organizations and parties involved in the Project implementation process, such as the Agency of Protected Areas (APA), National Tourism Administration (GNTA), Georgian Tourism Association (GTA), Biodiversity Conservation and Research Centre (NACRES), the initial implementation of the Project UNWTO and other stakeholders.

During the meeting attending parties had a possibility to learn about the Project implementation procedures and achieved goals, newly introduced touristic products and discuss the tourism development potential and prospective in general. The event participants debated about marketing tools and promotional activities for the touristic products existing at the Protected Areas, as well as about the opportunities of eco labeling system and other, tourism related issues.