Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia opened the important “World Tourism Day” celebration in Tbilisi. World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on September 27 in different countries.
This is the first time the Georgian capital Tbilisi has hosted this international event. The theme of this year’s day is “tourism and peace.” At the opening event the economy minister of Georgia highlighted the role of peace in promoting tourism across the globe.
It is worth noting that Tbilisi has attracted a large number of people associated with the travel and tourism industry, including high-ranking international tourism industry experts.
Some of the names such as Ahmed Al-Khateeb, the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia; Harris Whitbeck, the Minister of Tourism of Guatemala; Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the UNWTO and Aziz Abduhakimov, the Minister of Ecology; Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan attended the event also.
The Prime Minister during his opening remarks added “Tourism plays a crucial role in the growth of any country’s economy. Moreover to make international tourism more attractive, we need to make efforts to bring global peace as well.”
The other key speakers also underlined the role of peace which can boost tourism. They advocated that the tourism sector can be a bridge to peace and cross-cultural understanding.
While addressing attendees Mariam Kvrivishvili, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia stated “ It is a very proud moment as the country is hosting the event for the first time. Tourism also plays a vital role in exchanging the rich heritage and cultural values of each other country and for this peace is an essential factor.
The panel discussion held on the sidelines of the event also highlighted how tourism can be made a driver of global peace. The PM and another official representative of the Government thanked the attendees for their esteemed presence on this day. They also called upon the representatives of other countries to come forward to promote tourism.
