Irakli Lekvinadze speaks about consumer rights in tourism sector at UNCTAD session

Georgia: Irakli Lekvinadze, Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (GCCA), and Intergovernmental experts spoke at the 8th Consumer Protection Law and Policy session at the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Switzerland.

UNCTAD is the focal point in the UN system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated finance and technology issues, including investment and sustainable development.

During his speech, Irakli Lekvinadze discussed consumer rights in Georgia’s tourism sector and highlighted the planned changes in this direction.

“Over the last ten years, Georgia’s tourism sector has experienced significant growth. In 2023, Georgia received more than 7 million visitors, doubling the population of our country. This indicator almost equals a pre-pandemic peak, indicating the sector’s rapid recovery process.

With visitor numbers increasing over the past two years, GCCA has been protecting the rights of consumers, including tourists.

Irakli Lekvinadze said, ” A number of decisions have been made, most of which are agreed upon – between travel and airline companies, hotels, and consumers, which is a positive process—setting the standards that matter.”

“The Georgian Parliament has adopted a law on tourism, which will be fully operational from 2027 and regulates the rights of tourists in this field. Strengthening cooperation between countries and sharing experience makes this process even more perfect; today’s conference is an excellent opportunity to do that, – said Irakli Lekvinadze during his speech.

Participants of the event: UNCTAD member states, relevant agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

At the “Consumer Protection in the Tourism Sector” session, the heads of France, Uruguay, India, UNCTAD, and the UN Tourism Organization spoke with the Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (GCCA).

GCCA

The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) was established in 2014 under the auspices of the European Association Agreement (AA) and plays a vital role in the European integration process. In the past ten years, it has gone through several stages of development.