The new head of Georgian National Tourism Administration wants to involve the private sector, to develop and launch medical tourism. His mission is to get more “quality tourists” to come to Georgia.
Mariam Kvrivishvili, the new head of Georgian National Tourism Administration, wants to develop new tourism products and services.
“It is important that with short, medium and long term strategies, we develop new tourism products, create new infrastructure and launch more new flights to bring in more high-profile tourists”, she has said. “We need to develop and launch medical tourism. The involvement of the private sector in the development of medical tourism is of utmost importance. We have one mission – we want more quality tourists to come to Georgia.”
Local property developer Alliance sees potential in health and wellness. In Kobuleti, Georgia’s second largest seaside resort and historically acknowledged as the regional health recovery destination, the company plans to build a multifunctional complex with an international hotel.
Alliance founder Akaki Songulia says,“We see health and wellness tourism as the next best opportunity for hospitality sector development in Georgia. The mild subtropical climate of Kobuleti, its ionized sea air, the sun, pine and cedar trees, all contribute to the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems. It is time to bring wellness tourism to the table. Health is luxury and today’s traveller looks for a holistic and meaningful holiday experience.”
The Kobuleti Health and Wellness resort complex will be developed on the land where the Horizon sanatorium was in the 1980s. The three-tower multifunctional complex will consist of a 200-room health and wellness hotel and exclusive apartments.
Alliance also has a development project in Tbilisi called the Alliance Highline, featuring the Wyndham Garden Hotel, which includes a spa and wellness offer.
According to Georgian Journal, in Q1 of 2018, 13,900 foreigners visited Georgia for medical and recovery purposes. This is 61.2 % higher than the same period in 2017. Of this number, 8,600 had medical treatment. The most popular medical services are dentistry and cosmetic surgery.
Visit the IMTJ Country report on Georgia for further data and independent analysis on the medical travel sector.
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