Travel Business SPecial Edition by The FINANCIAL

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EUROPEAN TOURISM TOU OURI OUR OU RISM M GROWS GRO ROW WS S ABOVE AB BO OVE EXPECTATIONS EXP

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GMC Group Opening New N Restaurant Slavianka

EXTREME TOURISM AND ADVENTURE IN GEORGIA

LOT Polish Airlines has Experienced 300 Percent Sales Increase in Georgia During One Year

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News Making Money

December 5, 2011

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GEORGIAN WEBSITE

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THE LONG ROAD

Scenario Planning for 2012: Emerging Markets Provide the Glimmer

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DUBAI IS THE TOP NEW YEAR DESTINATION FOR GEORGIAN TRAVELLERS See on p. 13

GEORGIAN LABOUR MIGRANTS FLEE FROM EUROZONE CRISIS

By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

eorgia as a relatively new tourist destination hosted more than 2.3 million international travellers in the first ten months of 2011, according to data of the Georgian National Tourism Agency (GNTA). About 300,000 international travellers visit Georgia every month. “We will almost certainly have

hosted about three million travellers by the end of 2011,” Maia Sidamonidze, Head of GNTA, said in an interview with The FINANCIAL. “If the winter season starts early due to lots of snow, then the number of tourists may even exceed three million. The number of tourists for the first ten months on 2011 was 42 percent more in comparison to data for the same period of 2010.” Continued on p. 3

by 46% in 2011 By TAKO KHELAIA The FINANCIAL

French Insurance Broker Giant Gras Savoye has See on p. 12 Entered Georgia

ing within one of the Marriott brand hotels. With this research we explore customer’s opinions and the hotel’s guest satisfaction index. Last year Tbilisi Marriott came in the fourth place in the same index. This year it had advanced to the second place with ultimate goal to become number one. We are proud of such achievement, as this not only demonstrates the highest guest satisfaction with our two hotels, but simultaneously contributes to the overall positive image of our country,” said Togonidze. Continued on p. 4

Hotel Anaklia Open to Tourists All Year Round See on p. 21

The FINANCIAL

he architect, chief cook, restaurant and banquet manager of the hotel are Italian. All the hotel’s equipment is bought from Italy as well. Bruno Costantino is the most important Italian at Georgia Palace Hotel. He is the

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By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

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restaurant and banquet manager there. “Our hotel’s Italian style, Italian mentality and vision are evident to our guests. Unfortunately Italian style is not yet profitable in Georgia, but I hope that it will be in the future,” said Costantino. Continued on p. 10

Holiday Inn Increased its Number of Rooms from 54 to 260 in a Year

CURRENT PRICES ON GASOLINE AND DIESEL

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to increased demand, Radisson management have started discussing plans for opening new hotels in Georgia. There are projects being discussed within both brands of the network, Park Inn by Radisson and Radisson itself. Mr. Turhan in an exclusive interview with The FINANCIAL said that hotel officials will soon have interesting news for guests.

GPH - Developing the Hospitality Business By MARIAM PAPIDZE

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BANK OF GEORGIA INVESTING 783,000 GEL IN EXPRESS SERVICE CENTRES

Sponsors:

Radisson Blu “Total Number of Tourists in 2011 May Iveria Hotel’s Exceed 3 Million” Occupancy Increased

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GEORGIA AIMING TO HOLD TOP PLACE IN THE LIST OF WINE TOURISM COUNTRIES

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General Director of Adjara Plus, which is managing Holiday Inn. “Now we occupy eighteen floors and are planning further expansion.” “We have the burning ambition to be the top hotel in the market. Holiday Inn is a four star hotel but we are competing with five star hotels in terms of our high quality and standards. All the members of our topmanagement team are Georgians.

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issol has launched a recreation and service complex on a section of the Gori highway. President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and the Minister of Regional Development Ramaz Nikolaishvili attended the opening of the strategic complex.

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DECEMBER 5, 2011, GEORGIA

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Wissol Opens Recreation and Service Complex on Stretch of Gori Highway

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BUSINESSTRAVELCOM

HOTEL AND AIRTICKET BOOKING: 2 999 662 | SKY.GE

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HEADLINE NEWS & ANALYSIS

FINANCIAL

DECEMBER 5, 2011 | FINCHANNEL.COM

travel business

KHACHAPURI INDEX IS EXCLUSIVELY PROVIDED TO THE FINANCIAL BY ISET

DECEMBER 2011

KHACHAPURIINDEX

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find that summer is the cheapest season of the year, followed by spring, autumn, and winter. There has been a 20% difference between the winter and summer khachapuri price, on average. We used our data to analyze the trend in Khachapuri price net of seasonal and monthly fluctuations. Such fluctuations are mainly caused by climate and tradition. Fresh fruit and vegetables, for instance, have a marked seasonal pattern of production and consumption. Religious traditions, such as fasting, may dramatically reduce the demand for meat and dairy products.

monthly inflation. Statistical agencies typically distinguish among “strongly” seasonal commodities, which are available only part of the year, and “weakly” seasonal ones that are available throughout the year but their prices (and consumption) fluctuate with the time of the year. Cheese is an excellent example of a weakly seasonal commodity. It is the strongly seasonal products which pose the biggest problem for statistical agencies. Two main methods are used to deal with such products. The fixedweight approach would include the strongly seasonal commodity in the out-of-season months with an “imputed” price (e.g. the average price of goods in a narrow category to which this commodity belongs). An alternative approach is to reduce the weight of a good that is not available in a particular season (say, mushrooms) to zero while increasing the weight of other goods in the same category. Neither method is perfect, of course.

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ECONOMICS LESSON OF THE WEEK: SEASONAL PRODUCTS AND INFLATION

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We started our survey in August 2008, and our project is thus 40 month old. Overall, Kh-Index increased over time. The average price of one standard khachapuri for the first 11 month of 2011 is 3.2 GEL, compared to 2,8 GEL in 2010 and 2.6 GEL in 2009. Based on data from the beginning of the project, we calculated the average seasonal prices of Khachapuri. Not surprisingly, we

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he cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri in November 2011 was in the [3.0 - 3.7] GEL range. The average price was 3.3 GEL. As predicted, Kh-Index continued to rise after a small decline in September: it was up 2.5% in October and 0.8% in November. Last month, we observed a 6% drop in butter and milk prices; cheese got a bit more expensive (2%), and flour added 6%. Compared to November 2010, the price of khachapuri increased by only 1.9% (a year ago one could cook a khachapuri for 3.2 GEL). Interestingly, this year-on-year estimate of khachapuri inflation is EXACTLY equal to the official GeoStat estimate of year-on-year CPI inflation for November 2011 (1.9%).

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A large component of the KhIndex is cheese which is available all year around but is subject to strong seasonal and monthly fluctuations. The data allow to calculate year-on-year differences in Kh-Index (say, November 2011 minus November 2010, October 2011 minus October 2010, etc.) and thus construct a seasonally and monthly “detrended” chart of Kh-Index dynamics since September 2009. As is easy to see, during this period Kh-Index has been going up until March-April 2011, and is declining ever since. When reporting inflation estimates, statistical agencies have to account for goods and services that experience seasonal prices fluctuations. Such products must be included in the CPI, but there is no generally agreed approach as to the best way to treat the associated “seasonality” problem: when a seasonal commodity is outof-season, its price may be very high, leading to a seasonal hike in the overall index. This volatility can cause “statistical fog” with the analysis and understanding of

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GTA Working on the Regulation of Hotel Prices in Georgia By TAKO KHELAIA The FINANCIAL

ecreasing the prices of accommodation at hotels and guesthouses would greatly increase the number of tourists in Georgia, believes Nata Kvachantiradze, Director of the Georgian Tourism Association. GTA, which unites leading private travel companies in Georgia, is working on hotel price regulation in Georgia. “Unfortunately most guesthouses and hotel networks in the country offer only high prices to tourists. Our association is working on a format of price regulation. Tourists often complain about the prices of hotels here. Hotels in our country are three times more expensive than in other countries. Flights to Georgia should also be cheaper,” Kvachantiradze said. “One of the most serious problems in terms of tourism in Georgia is infrastructure development and level of service. Developing the infrastructure does not just mean having good quality road surfaces. It also involves improving the services at hotels, creating signs which help tourists navigate

around the country and many other things. Infrastructure development is improving nowadays and is much better than it was 2-3 years ago,” Kvachantiradze said. “Service level is another very important component of tourism development. Mainly small guesthouses have problems with their level of service. Unfortunately most of the guesthouse owners and managers in the regions don’t know how to properly host tourists. The Government and private sector should be actively involved in solving this problem. The owners of guesthouses must be educated on the subject,” Kvachantiradze said.

“In most of our international projects which we established together with donor organizations, we arranged some trainings in different regions of Georgia. We mostly emphasized the guesthouses which are located near the protected territories of Georgia. We did our best by giving them knowledge of how to improve their level of service,” Kvachantiradze said. According to Kvachantiradze GTA has increased the number of its member companies. 46 tourism organizations are now members of GTA. “Casino Adjara recently became a member of GTA. We support

different sectors connected with the tourism industry,” Kvachantiradze said. “Recently we hosted some French tourism companies in Georgia and arranged an info tour for them,” Kvachantiradze said. “Georgian hospitality is one of the main attractions for foreigners visiting the country. The traditional cuisine is also very popular and famed amongst tourists. All of the tours arranged within Georgia end with a hearty Georgian ‘Supra’ where traditional food is served. Georgian wine is also wellknown among foreigners. Cultural sightseeing, our ethnography and history all combine to make our country an interesting place to visit. Furthermore, in recent times adventure tourism has become popular. In terms of this both Kazbegi, Tusheti and Svaneti are quite popular. Some people visit Georgia specifically to go rafting here as well,” Kvachantiradze said. Kvachantiradze claims that Tbilisi and Mtskheta are the two top tourist destinations with foreigners. Tour operators always include these two cities in their itineraries.

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“Total Number of Tourists in 2011 May Exceed 3 Million,” Maia Sidamonidze By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

“We will almost certainly have hosted about three million travellers by the end of 2011,” Maia Sidamonidze, Head of GNTA, said in an interview with The FINANCIAL. “If the winter season starts early due to lots of snow, then the number of tourists may even exceed three million. The number of tourists for the first ten months on 2011 was 42 percent more in comparison to data for the same period of 2010.” “Almost all the regions of Georgia are popular but the capital hosts the biggest number of tourists compared to the other regions. People visiting the country mostly like to travel to Batumi, Kobuleti, Kutaisi, Mtskheta, Ureki, Stepantsminda, Gori, Borjomi, Lagodekhi, Mestia and Sighnaghi.” “We have seen record increases in the number of tourists from our priority markets including Iran with a 194 percent increase, Kazakhstan with a 162 percent increase, China with a 140 percent increase, and Poland with a 77 percent increase. Our top visitor countries in 2011 have been Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Israel, the USA and Germany. International travellers mainly visit Georgian sea and ski resorts for rest and recreation. At the same time cultural and adventure tours, ecotourism, wine tourism and business tourism are also very popular. The average duration of a visit to Georgia is five days. 44 percent of visitors stay in the country from two to seven days. Visitors coming for rest and recreation stay for six to seven days. Business travellers tend to stay for about three days. 66 percent of visitors in Georgia are male and 44 percent female. The majority of them belong to the age group 25-55. Q. Which tourism directions are the best developed in Georgia? What are the problems that are hindering their development? A. Georgia is a new tourist destination and all directions of tourism are currently being developed. The biggest problems are with infrastructure and professional human resources. For example, development of alpine tourism needs a rescue service and certified international mountain guides. Apart from sea and ski resorts, which are the main directions, business tourism is developing very successfully as well. The main centres of business tourism are Tbilisi and Batumi. The main segment is adventure and eco tourism which prosper most in the summer. The share of health tourism isn’t big yet but interest towards this segment is increasing. The low prices and

various choices of health resorts have resulted in the rising interest of foreigners in undergoing comparatively cheaper medical procedures here. The Agency is currently working intensively on developing wine, ski and alpine tourism. As well as that we plan to develop ‘geotourism’ which includes ethnographic, culinary and eco tourism. Q. Which direction of tourism is the most profitable? Tourists from which countries tend to spend the most money? A. The most profitable type of tourism in Georgia is business tourism as business travellers spend the largest amount of money. Then again, visitors that are coming to holiday make up the biggest share of all the tourists in the country therefore they bring in the biggest revenue. Tourists coming from developed countries including Western Europe, North America and Eastern Asia spend more money in Georgia. Q. What would you consider to be the main challenges for 2011? A. 2011 was one of the most dynamic years for the development of tourism and its infrastructure in Georgia. It is not just the increased number of tourists that proves this. Old resorts have been rehabilitated and some new ones created. Development of the transport network and the building of new airports have also been very important steps. The airport in Mestia is up and running and the building of another one is Kutaisi is already underway. I consider the newly-rehabilitated ZugdidiMestia road to be the most important project of 2011. The main challenges and aims remain further development of tourism infrastructure, improvement of service quality, increase of human resource qualification, and raising of the country’s awareness abroad to take its niche in the world tourism market. Q. Please could you tell us about your plans for 2012? A. By the end of December we’ll announce our plans. Some of them are: the starting of an EU Twinning project. The project includes creating the structure of a Destination Management Organisation, improving the legal system and increasing the qualifications of employed people in the sector,. As well as these we plan to found a training centre of international standards, open some new tourism information centres, create new tourism products, rehabilitate old resorts and create new ones, as well as undertake an intensive advertising campaign for the winter season in our target markets. Q. The biggest flow of tourists comes from our neighbour countries. Which markets are most targeted by Georgia’s advertising campaigns? What tools do you use to attract tourists from Western Europe and America? A. Our target markets are divided into two parts: primary and secondary target markets. Our primary market includes our neighbours, post soviet, Baltic and Eastern European countries where awareness of Georgia is quite high. We have more of an advertising type campaign in these countries. Our secondary target market is Western Europe and longhaul destinations including

Maia Sidamonidze, Head of The Georgian National Tourism Agency

America and Asia. Awareness of Georgia as a tourist destination is low and therefore we conduct PR and informative campaigns there. We intensively work on entering new markets and creating or developing products for them. As for tourists from Western Europe and America, they have visa-free entry to Georgia and this significantly supports increasing the number of tourists from there. More charters are essential for further growth of visitor numbers. Our advertisements on American channels have helped to increase popularity as well. Q. How do the prices of air tickets and hotels in Georgia affect the process of trying to attract more tourists? A. The prices offered by the private sector have to be relative to the quality of service. Today demand is very high and lots of businesses have guaranteed clients. That’s why they don’t think of improving their service, but this is a short-term policy. This has resulted in prices that do not correspond with the service. But demand and competition are gradually increasing and businesses will soon realize that they have to improve their quality and have reasonable prices. Q. Tourists often complain that there is no welldeveloped night life infrastructure. Do you plan to implement some changes in regards to development of such infrastructure?

A. The private sector has to cooks, barmen etc. GNTA will do this. We, as a state, have open a Learning, Training, Reincreased demand and created search and Development Cenadequate conditions to create tre where people can increase infrastructure for this. Now it’s their knowledge not just in this the private sector’s turn. There sphere, but tourism experts is demand for and students night clubs and will have the places of enterpossibility to tainment and conduct resoon supply search. This will follow the The 2011 budget will support demand. tourism develQ. Please of GNTA was opment in the could you 5,076,500 GEL. long-term. give us more Q. You have fully details about An increase of our rehabilitatthe strategy ed some of of increasing budget in 2012 the regions service qual- is essential to of Georgia ity in Georand some gia? You implementing all are still in planned to the process. do trainings our plans. Some people in the recall this progions. What ‘Sighnaghization’ have the results of these cess after Sighnaghi, the first trainings been? A. We have short-term as town to be rehabilitated well as long-term strategies to in this way. There have raise the quality of service. The been some negative reacshort-term plan includes an- tions from locals howevnual short training in different er, so what do you say to tourist spots. Short courses in that? A. Public opinion is always managing guesthouses, business management and general divided on certain issues. That English were conducted in the is normal and there is nothing regions. These resulted in in- unusual about it. We are docreased service quality. The ing all of this for the country short-term strategy means im- and its prosperity. If anyone proving the level of education doesn’t like something, they and increasing human resourc- can become involved in the es’ qualifications. A vocational processes. Everything is transschool opened in Tbilisi and the parent. There was uproar in regions are oriented on train- France years ago when they ings for medium and low level constructed glass pyramids in service staff including waiters, front of the Louvre. But now

this has become one of the main sights to see in Paris. The most important thing here is the preservation of ancient and historic structures and the rehabilitation of tourist infrastructure, and not a discussion about taste. Q. This year Georgia participated in the international exhibition Cruise and Shipping Miami 2011. What were the results of that participation? A. The main aim of our participation in the exhibition and conference was to increase cruises to Batumi by attracting more international cruise companies. We had very concrete negotiations and plans. As a result of the negotiations Batumi has already been added to the tourism catalogues of famous cruise companies. Q. How readily available is information about Georgia for American or Asian tourists? What tools do you use for this? A. Information about Georgia is available via the internet as well as in other media forms. But the information is limited. We have huge plans regarding an informational campaign for 2012. This means renewing our webpage and actively using social media as well as search engine optimization. Our webpage plays a significant role in distributing information about Georgia and renewing it is our priority. This process has already started. Georgia is included in the catalogues of some huge tourism agencies including TUI, Mir Corporation, KUONI, JTB and more. We also help the private sector to be included in the lists of big online agencies like booking.com, lastminute. com, tripadvisor.com etc. We seasonally run advertisements in our target markets and also have huge projects for big channels like CNN and Travel Channel. They cost a great deal but are necessary and what’s more, effective. They increase the number of tourists and support the inflow of more foreign currency. Supply and demand are also increasing. These are the more short-term results of advertisements. If there is no advertisement nobody abroad will know about the country’s potential and development. Currently we have an advertisement in our primary target markets to bring tourists to our winter resorts. Q. Georgia is now registered on Google Maps. What will that change? A. This is a very important development. The majority of potential tourists look at a country via this webpage before travelling to that place. Now any type of information about Georgia will be available on Google Maps. Q. How much do you like travelling yourself? Which are your favourite countries to visit, and your favourite regions in Georgia? A. I adore travelling and that’s why I chose tourism as my profession. I like to experience new, exotic and different things. I love travelling across Georgia and have very fond memories of each and every region. I especially love Mestia in Svaneti. This is a place that you always want to go back to. I like Batumi in the autumn when it is still warm. Walking or bicycling in the main boulevard is very pleasant. Kakheti always puts one in a good mood. In general travelling means freedom to me.

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HEADLINE NEWS & ANALYSIS

FINANCIAL

DECEMBER 5, 2011 | FINCHANNEL.COM

travel business

Tbilisi Marriott Named As One Of the Best Marriott s in Europe By MARIAM PAPIDZE The FINANCIAL “With one more month to go till the end of 2011, Tbilisi Marriott hotel is in the second place in the guest satisfaction index out of all European Marriott Hotels year to date,” George Togonidze, General Manager of the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel and Courtyard by Marriott Tbilisi, told The FINANCIAL. As for the Courtyard by Marriott Tbilisi, YTD, it ranks as the fourth out of all Courtyard Marriott hotels. “The Marriott regularly surveys its customer’s regarding their experiences while staying within one of the Marriott brand hotels. With this research we explore customer’s opinions and the hotel’s guest satisfaction index. Last year Tbilisi Marriott came in the fourth place in the same index. This year it had advanced to the second place with ultimate goal to become number one. We are proud of such achievement, as this not only demonstrates the highest guest satisfaction with our two hotels, but simultaneously contributes to the overall positive image of our country,” said Togonidze. Q. What is Marriott’s role in tourism development in Georgia? A. I will explain the role of the Marriott in tourism development according to a specific example. We cooperate with different airline companies all over the world. Together with them and our partner Georgian travel agencies, we bring tour operators to Georgia for free. We have partnered with leading airlines, tour operators and Georgian Tourism department to increase the number of incoming travels and bring more tourists in Georgia than ever before. We have cooperated with the Netherlands and Ukraine. Due to the combined efforts, twelve leading travel companies in the Netherlands will add Georgia to their tour packages. This is one of the ways that we try to increase awareness of the country. Now we are going to do the same project with Poland. It is already possible to fly direct from Georgia to Poland and this helps us in great regard. We are going to attract tourists from Israel as well. Israeli tourists are very active in exploring Georgia and we have been observing positive trend in hosting more and more tourists from Israel over the past few years. Due to the recent steps, which government undertook towards improvement of infrastructural and tourism facilities in the mountainous regions and sea-side resorts, we expect lots of tourists from our neighbouring countries and especially from Ukraine. Due to improved environment, more and more travellers will visit Mestia, Gudauri, Bakuriani, Batumi and Kakheti regions.

George Togonidze, General Manager of the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel and Courtyard by Marriott Tbilisi

Marriott was entering into an unfamiliar environment when it arrived in Georgia. .It was the first Marriott hotel not just in Georgia, but in the whole Caucasus Region. It was at a time when global awareness of Georgia was still very low. But nevertheless the Marriott brand was here. I have personally met lots of tourists who back then, who knew very little about Georgia, but they knew much more about Marriott. The Marriott brand is associated with the highest standards within the hospitality industry, therefore those people who know Marriott, perceive the country in which the brand operates as politically and economically stabile. I have to take this opportunity and convey gratitude to our every associate at both hotels, who created such kind of an environment that guests named Tbilisi Marriott and Courtyard as one of the very best Marriott Hotels in Europe. People leave our hotels with good impressions and have the desire to return to Tbilisi. If an impression is positive, then one guest will share it with ten other people. But if the impression is negative, then they tell a hundred people. That’s why we try to give only favourable impressions to our visitors. We pay attention to even the smallest details. We know our visitors birthdays

and we celebrate together with them; we know what they like and what they do not like; what their interests are and what not; in which room they prefer to stay, what kind of mattress, blankets, pillows they like and so on. We examine our visitor’s character, interests, taste and create an environment which makes lasting impressions upon our visitors. In our industry, we create memories and experiences. In regards to what Marriott meant for Tbilisi and Georgia - I would compare the Marriott to an icebreaker ship. It broke the ice in Georgia when there was shortage in electricity, gas, running water, and other technical challenges. Later, as the way was paved it became easier for other players to enter Georgia’s tourism industry as well. Therefore Marriott’s entrance positively reflected on the country’s image. Q. How did the appearance of other players on the market reflect on the Marriott’s guest numbers? A. Competitiveness is the main motivator for improvement in every sector of economy. Without competition, there would be no progress and without progress there would be no development. We value competition, as it makes us stronger in every field of our operations. Despite the in-

creased supply, demand for the Marriott hotel increased by 3-7% compared to past years. I would remind you that last year the Radisson was just newly opened and Holiday Inn had not yet entered the country’s market. Despite doubled supply, demand for our hotel has actually increased. I also want to convey my sincere compliments to the Radisson and Holiday Inn, because both of them are helping the tourism development process in Georgia. Q. How would you assess tourism development in Georgia? A. I returned to Georgia two years ago. Since then, tourism in the country has been developing rather rapidly. The number of foreign tourists is rising dynamically in Georgia. In the past, tourists were experiencing numerous problems in regards to the country’s infrastructure. They wanted to visit lots of places in Georgia but, for example, the roads were in bad condition and it was almost impossible to visit all the sights the country has to offer. At present, such everyday, elementary problems have already been resolved. Infrastructure developments, improving hotel, restaurant and overall hospitality facilities in the country, have all led to significant increases in the numbers of tourists. We need to remember

that tourism and hospitality industries are intertwined with human factors. To created unforgettable memories for our visitors, not only in our hotels, but overall in the country, we need to improve service levels, as no matter how developed the infrastructure, no matter how well-repaired the roads are, if the service level is not improved in the country, the tourism industry will not be developed successfully. In addition to the above, in order to attract tourists to a country, it is imperative to promote the destination, the country through advertisement, promotions and various travel fares. Even the most tourism-developed countries, such as Italy, France, Greece or Thailand for example, make huge investments in their country’s advertisements. Tourists who have already visited France, England and other famous countries in the world are looking for new destinations. It is important for them to have information about Georgia which is a really new and exciting destination for them. Georgia should always be in their minds. And lastly it would be great to bring more airlines, both on high and low-cost ends in the country. We have seen significant steps from government to bring new airlines and we have seen LOT, Dubai, China Southern, Qatar, Air Astana and Pegasus entering in the market, which is a huge step in the right direction and we truly appreciate all the efforts respective governmental agencies took to bring more airlines in the country. This will only benefit attracting more visitors to Georgia. Q. In your opinion wills the growing economic crisis in Europe and America impact on the tourism development process in Georgia or not? Or will it impact on the number of Marriott’s guests? A. In a way the crisis may even help us to get more tourists. The reason is simple. During a crisis people prefer to spend money on visiting new destinations rather than on those which they had already visited numerous times. Besides, having a holiday in Georgia is considered to be less expensive according to tourists. A. Official delegations and businessmen stay in the Marriott for two to four days. They prefer to stay in the Tbilisi Marriott. The prices start at 265 USD. As for tourists, they prefer to stay in the Courtyard by Marriott Tbilisi where prices start at 225 USD. As we are interested in increasing the number of tourists in Georgia, we try to offer more flexible prices to them. The number of nights that tourists spend in Tbilisi has decreased. The reason is that now hotel infrastructure is developed not just in the capital city but in the regions as well. As there were

no hotels in other cities or regions of Georgia, tourists had to return to Tbilisi and stay here. But now they have the possibility to stay in the regions as well. Our neighbouring countries are still very frequent guests in Georgia. Besides Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, tourists from Poland and Ukraine also visit our country very often. Then come EU countries and eastern countries. The Tbilisi Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott Tbilisi are also very popular among those Georgians who live abroad and are visiting their home country for a short stay. Q. “Marriott introduces Tbilisi to the world,” said Steve Horvath, Area Director Revenue Management Eastern Europe, and Rene Mooren, Area Director of Sales and Marketing. Does the advertising of Tbilisi Marriott really help to attract tourists to the country? A. The power of Marriott is in its world-wide awareness and global distribution. Distribution means having the possibility to serve all segments and cover as much of a geographic area as possible. Marriott has over 3,500 hotels around the world. When the brand’s awareness takes first place in people’s minds this is a big success. When you ask which hotel is the best, Marriott’s name comes to mind first. Q. In your opinion, why are the majority of five star hotels in Georgia foreign brands? If it is possible for foreign brands (like Sheraton, Marriott, Radisson) to be successful on the Georgian market, why do local hotels not exist here? (With the exception of GPH) A. This needs time and experience. It took 70 years for Marriott to achieve the standard it has today. It is difficult to compete with such an experienced hotel brand. But time by time, this experience will be accumulated and Georgian hotel brands will appear on the market as well. Thanks to Marriott lots of people have acquired knowledge and experience. These people will create something interesting for the country in the near future I believe. Q. As Christmas and New Year are approaching what will the Marriott be offering its guests for the holidays? A. For Christmas our foreign guests leave the hotel and go back to their families. Everyone wants to spend Christmas and New Year with their families. Even businessmen take a holiday during this period. Many Georgians leave Tbilisi and go to mountain resorts too. As it has already become our tradition, the whole hotel will be decorated beautifully for Christmas, and we will certainly organize nice events and promotions for the holiday season.

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Radisson Blu Iveria

Hotel’s Occupancy Increased by 46%

in 2011

RADISSON MANAGEMENT IS DISCUSSING PLANS FOR OPENING NEW HOTELS IN GEORGIA Atakan Turhan, General Manager of Radisson Blu Iveria,

By TAKO KHELAIA The FINANCIAL

he year 2011 has been quite successful for Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, one of the leading hotels on the market. According to Atakan Turhan, General Manager of Radisson Blu Iveria, the hotel has much increased its market share during 2011. Due to increased demand, Radisson management have started discussing plans for opening new hotels in Georgia. There are projects being discussed within both brands of the network, Park Inn by Radisson and Radisson itself. Mr. Turhan in an exclusive interview with The FINANCIAL said that hotel officials will soon have interesting news for guests. “We observed especially high demands in the second part of the year. September and October were the busiest time for our hotel. We served many guests in these months. There were even some cases when we had to turn willing guests away from the hotel, as the hotel was completely full at that time that there were simply no free rooms,” Turhan said. “The highest demand at our hotel is from the business segment. Compared to last year demand at our hotel has increased by about 45-46%. The largest percentage of our guests is citizens of the USA. Second place belongs to Georgians and then come the citizens of neighbour countries Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia

and Ukraine,” Turhan said. “The biggest events in the city are always held at our hotel. We have served a NATO conference, Economist’s conference and a couple of business forums recently. All of the most important events in Tbilisi are always held at the Radisson and we are very proud of that,” Turhan said. According to Turhan big, important events are held at the hotel due to the fact that the hotel offers the best service in this regard. “The capacity of the hotel is quite big which enables it to host such large events. We have the biggest capacity in the city and we can accommodate the largest scale conferences. The high level of the service, location and facilities that we offer are attractive for event organizers,” Turhan said. “There are many plans for other hotels to be constructed in the city soon. To compete with these new hotels we will focus on our high level of service which is our key feature. We will always keep the best position in the city as the location of our hotel really is unique. We have a huge variety of competitive services as well, including a spa, casino and terrace. Each of these services is unique in the hospitality market in Tbilisi. We have certain advantages and we will always be number one in regards to those,” Turhan said. “We are already famed for the Yes I Can service of the hotel. This service is a kind of slogan for our company. It’s a mix of international

and Georgian hospitality. Our hotel appeals to most tourists as we offer them a wide range of services. We have the best view of the city from our hotel rooms, no matter which floor the room is located on. We offer two different bars which are already very famous for their cuisine and high level of service,” Turhan said. Staff trainings are one of the top priorities of the hotel. The hotel pays much attention to its staff’s education and professionalism. The hotel conducts trainings in different directions. “Trainings are an ongoing part of our hotel’s life. Due to the good professional skills some of our hotel staff members are even offered jobs at other hotels. It’s a natural process; when you have well qualified staff, your competitors always try to hook them. In such cases some of our staff do leave the hotel to develop their careers further. But most of them prefer to stay with us because they believe that their future is here with us. We are a fast developing company in Georgia. We are providing lots of opportunities inside and outside of the country,” Turhan told The FINANCIAL. “Green business in our hotel is becoming more and more important as time passes. One of our main concepts is Responsible Business. Responsible Business includes the training of staff, our customers and shareholders in order to make them understand responsibility towards the community, nature and en-

vironment around us. We measure our consumption of water, electricity and waste production. We have targets to decrease them which we hope to achieve by consuming less and using energy more efficiently,” Turhan said. Radisson Blu Iveria is famous for the modern design of its rooms. According to the General Manager of the hotel, they often receive compliments on their well designed rooms. “The design of our hotel rooms is almost unique. Most of our guests are people who travel a lot and visit lots of different hotels. One of the most frequent comments from guests is that the design of our hotel is really exceptional. It doesn’t look like any other. It’s completely different; modern with a great deal of space. We have full windows from which beautiful views of the city are visible,” Turhan said. “Our number one product is our comfortable beds. We offer people the famous Simmons brand of beds. We have certain standards for every item that we have in our rooms. We have textiles which are specially produced for our hotel specifically, the green and gold colours in our rooms are created using special materials. We use special products by Anne Semonin. As you know our spa is named Anne Semonin for the famous French cosmetic brand. These products are also available for sale in the spa’s reception area,” Turhan said.

“Ventilation in the hotel is always a challenge. People have different expectations. We have a four spring system ventilation which is quite advanced. Since the hotel is new we have only the latest technologies. 70% of the rooms in our hotel are non smoking. This is quite a big ratio of the rooms. Of course we want to increase this number but smoking isn’t banned in Georgia yet. Smoking in public areas in the building is allowed. I would be very happy to convert it to a non smoking hotel if the Georgian Government would also support this idea. Smoking regulations in other countries sound difficult to people at first, but for the moment everyone is happy including both smokers and non smokers,” Turhan said. Radisson often serves ‘Mystery Guests’ who come to check the hotel’s service and accommodation. Radisson Blu Iveria received the highest score in Radisson Hotel Chain from its Mystery Guest last year. The General Manager of the Radisson Blu Iveria is also actively involved in checking the famous website TripAdvisor where he makes sure that guests remain content with the hotel. “Internet technologies are becoming a huge part of our lives. People use the internet more and more often now. The hotel is a live organism for 24 hours a day and every month we serve around 5,000 people. Nobody can guarantee that 100% of the guests are happy. If something happens due to our

mistake or something that we are responsible for, then we do our best to correct the mistake and improve that guest’s satisfaction. We always make sure that each of our guests is content with our accommodation. We often receive compliments and also some complaints on TripAdvisor, but most of the guests who have stayed at our hotel are content and advise others to visit us,” Turhan said. According to Atakan Turhan, Georgia as a tourist destination is quite an interesting country. Advertising is the number one tool for making a country famous and popular among tourists. “People should know what Georgia is able to offer. Easy flight connections and cheaper flights will also bring lots of tourists here. New hotels, new companies entering the market will improve the market conditions. Increased competition will increase the level of service as well. Whoever comes to Georgia always leaves with good impressions. The best advertisement is to make tourists content and happy. Then when they go back to their country they advertise much more actively and effectively than the country itself ever can,” Turhan said. Radisson will in the future focus on service level and guest satisfaction. They will continue staff trainings. The hotel plans to host some New Year events in its ballroom, Filini restaurant and Oxygen Bar at the same time.

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Holiday Inn Increased its Number of Rooms from 54 to 260 in a Year

By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

oliday Inn, the international four star hotel in Tbilisi, has seen 500 percent growth of its capacity over the last year. The hotel hosted more than 4,000 visitors in summer 2011 and more than 15,000 visitors in total during the year. “The hotel comprised just three floors when it was first opened,” said Valeri Chekheria, General Director of Adjara Plus, which is managing Holiday Inn. “Now we occupy eighteen floors and are planning further expansion.” “We have the burning ambition to be the top hotel in the market. Holiday Inn is a four star hotel but we are competing with five star hotels in terms of our high quality and standards. All the members of our topmanagement team are Georgians. We want to prove that Georgians have the ability to manage a premium class hotel and achieve great success. We are a good example of this,” he claims. The hotel was opened a year ago. Average occupancy rate at the hotel was 75 percent throughout the year. It was the same in the summer as well. The hotel’s managers consider this a preferable result. There are more than 3,000 hotels belonging to this brand worldwide. That includes four types of hotel: Holiday Inn, Holiday Express, Holiday Resorts and Holiday Inn Club. Ratings of the hotels are created annually. “Ratings are created according to region,” Chekheria told The FINANCIAL. “Europe, Middle East and Africa have one rating list. We hold 36th place out of the 167 hotels in our group. This is a very good result considering this is our first

year. However we aren’t satisfied with the result. We aim to be in the top three hotels next year. One main criterion for this rating is the satisfaction rate of clients, which is very high at Holiday Inn Tbilisi.” The hotel hosts visitors of different age groups and social classes. The majority of them are foreigners, especially from Georgia’s neighbouring countries. We have many clients from Western Europe, America and Australia as well though. “We host business delegations, representatives of international organizations and tourists,” he stated. “Business delegations are our most common guests. They stay longer than tourists usually. The majority of our visitors fill out service questionnaires. By referring to those we become aware of people’s opinions of our hotel. We rarely receive complaints. They are almost always about very trivial matters. For example one Chinese guest complained that rice wasn’t served at breakfast. In the case of more serious complaints, the hotel’s top managers discuss it as a matter of urgency and the problem is then solved in a matter of hours.” The average price of a room at Holiday Inn is 180 USD excluding VAT and breakfast. For New Year the hotel has a special offer. Any room will be available for 201.2 GEL from December 30 till January 8. The hotel’s administration is expecting full occupancy as a result. “We are doing a New Year action not just for the benefit of our foreign guests but for Georgians as well. Any resident of Tbilisi can spend New Year’s night at our hotel for a very low price,” Chekheria said. Adjara Group decided to found a new Holiday Inn in Batumi after the success-

Valeri Chekheria, General Director of Adjara Plus

ful operation of the hotel in Tbilisi. Building has already started and the hotel will be opened in September 2012. The hotel will be a five-storey building with 200 rooms. There will be a swimming pool as well. The style and design of the hotel will be French, but Georgian designers will be responsible for it. The architect and managing team are Georgians as well. “We think that there is still huge space for premium class hotels in Tbilisi as well as in Batumi,” the General Director said. “New international brands are entering the market every year. This proves that there is high demand for hotels. Otherwise such huge brands wouldn’t start operating in Tbilisi or Batumi.” “Our entrance to the Tbilisi hotel market resulted in increased healthy competition among the hotels here. We are oriented at the highest quality and this has made our competitors increase their service quality as well,” he stated. All international hotels present in Georgia are either four or five star hotels. According to Chekheria, every brand that is entering a new country will only start operations with one of its highest class hotels. “After the market of premium class hotels is fully saturated, three star ones will start operating as well,” he added. “Such hotels will be in high demand as more and more people of all social classes visit Georgia.” Adjara Group is founding the first Georgian hotel brand as well. Two hotels in the mountainous regions Borjomi and Kazbegi will be the first of this brand. The hotels will be opened by spring 2012. “Local hotel brands are very popular and competitive compared to international ones in developed countries including in

France, Italy, the USA, UK etc. We have the same ambition. We want to found a Georgian hotel brand oriented on high quality service. That will increase the quality of other local hotels as well. With our healthy competition we will support the Georgian market significantly. At the same time, I want these hotels to be competitors of Holiday Inn. As in my opinion it has the highest quality service in Georgia,” he explained. Adjara group did research before choosing the regions. Kazbegi and Borjomi are the most visited resorts in Georgia and they really lack sufficient numbers of rooms for tourists. “I visited Kazbegi several times before making my final decision,” Chekheria continued. “I saw that there were too many tourists there that many were actually camping. I then found out that they travelled with camping gear as there were no hotels to stay in. Therefore we chose those regions and two very beautiful and interesting hotels will be opened there soon.” As well as the hotels that Adjara Group will own, the Georgian hotel brand will manage some other hotels as well. Chekheria claims that they have already received offers for this. “Our managing team is so highly qualified and experienced that we can manage other hotels as well. We already have the ability to teach and train others, coordinate and monitor others’ work and help them achieve high quality service. I am especially proud of this because all of the members of the team are Georgian.” Adjara Group plans to cover the whole of Georgia with local brand hotels and after that expand their business to neighbouring countries.

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GPH - Developing the Hospitality Business By MARIAM PAPIDZE The FINANCIAL “Italians are renowned the world over for their expertise in the hotel management sector, that is why I chose to have them as my partners,” says Temur Chkhonia, the owner of Georgia Palace Hotel, who has brought the Italian spirit of hospitality to Georgia by establishing the Italian style five star hotel GPH in the seaside resort of Kobuleti. The architect, chief cook, restaurant and banquet manager of the hotel are Italian. All the hotel’s equipment is bought from Italy as well. Bruno Costantino is the most important Italian at Georgia Palace Hotel. He is the restaurant and banquet manager there. “Our hotel’s Italian style, Italian mentality and vision are evident to our guests. Unfortunately Italian style is not yet profitable in Georgia, but I hope that it will be in the future,” said Costantino. “I came to Georgia three years ago. During the time that I have lived here I have seen lots of changes in the Georgian tourism industry. As I live in Adjara I have observed that the situation is getting better here. Batumi is developing very successfully. The tourism industry is developing not just in Batumi but in Kobuleti as well. However there are lots of things

that still need to be done if we really want to develop international and domestic tourism. There are still problems with infrastructure in Georgia that need to be solved. But I believe that the situation will improve in accordance with the wishes of our guests. The contribution of GPH to tourism development in Georgia and in Kobuleti is very important. We made sure of having some of the best staff. I shared my experience with our staff myself. In the field of restaurant and banquet management I have 30 years of experience in different parts of the world. I gave them all trainings every day and shared all of my experience with them. I am so happy to see how our staff changed the way they worked. Now all of them are gracious, always smiling and taking care of the guests, working with true professionalism. I believe that we are a shining example for everyone. “As Italian cuisine is well known all over the world, their stylish design and delicate service piqued our interest and that is why we have partnered with Italians,” said Lela Tsulukidze. “Before starting a hotel business Mr. Chkhonia had relations with Italians. He and his wife fell in love with Italian architecture and design. After that they tried to bring some elements here and fulfil their wishes together with their partners, to mix Italian culture with Georgian.” “The main problem is the infrastructure that we are missing in certain segments. My advice is to work hard in order to achieve a higher level in the hospitality business,” said Lela Tsulukidze. “Foreign tourists should visit Georgia because we have such a fascinating historical past and lots of sights and important monuments to

eorgia Palace Hotel is the perfect choice for discerning guest, seeking to relax in a luxurious atmosphere with all modern conveniences and extensive range of health and wellness facilities.

Situated on a Kolkheti Plain and 25 km north of Batumi Kobuleti is distinguished by a unique microclimate which benefits cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous system unlike any other on Georgia's Black Sea coast. A pleasant subtropical climate, fresh air, plenty of sunshine, warm sea and Adjarian Mountains nearby create one of the most desirable holiday destinations in Georgia. 156 elegantly designed and spacious rooms, all with private balconies, open the wonderful views of the sea, the surrounding mountains or our beautiful garden. A modern decor with soft, pastel colored furnishings create a warm, welcoming feeling. All the guest rooms offer air-conditioning, cable internet, and hair-dryer, TV with satellite channels, mini bar and safe- boxes.

visit in the country. In each corner of our country you can find something interesting for tourists,” said Tsulikidze. “The reason why tourists should visit Georgia is that this country is a new destination for European tourists,” believes Bruno Costantino. “Nowadays there is a tendency to explore new travel destinations. In such a situation Georgia really has the opportunity to attract a great number of tourists. But the problem is the high prices of air-tickets. Flights to Georgia are expensive. You can go from Rome to Madrid and stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel for one week and it will cost you 600 EUR. A flight to Georgia

costs 600 EUR. So there is no competition and this is bad for industry development.” Q. Do you promote Georgia and GPH in Italy, for example, or in any other country? Bruno Costantino: Yes of course, this is one of the most important parts of making a hotel recognizable. For example last week our marketing and front office manager was visiting Barcelona in Spain. The purpose of this visit was to sell our hotel rooms to European tour operators for conferences and holidays. It is not just Italy and Georgia that we carry out marketing of GPH in, but other countries as well. Newspapers and web-

Lela Tsulukidze, GPH Vice Executive Directo

sites are some of the ways we advertise the hotel. Lela Tsulukidze: Advertising is one of the most important tools for promoting products; we are cooperating with lots of famous Georgian and international publications such as The FINANCIAL, British Tourism Journal, Air Board journal and more. We are participating in international exhibitions. Not just for Italians, but for other nationalities our hotel has become a new destination for rest and for business meetings, in the summer many Ukrainians visited our hotel. Bruno Costantino: The high quality and best service are our standard. None of them depend on price rates. I mean it is not necessary to offer guests expensive service, just make sure that you offer them high quality service. As for my role in achieving a high quality standard at GPH, I would say that the best quality and service is the result of our daily training, from the beginning till now and in the future. Q. GPH founder Temur Chkhonia said that the concept of weekend holidays is not yet developed in Georgia. How are you trying to solve this problem? Bruno Costantino: This is a real problem. I think that the reason is that there is no highway between Tbilisi and

Kobuleti. So it is not so easy to come here and spend the weekend at the hotel as it takes five to six hours to travel by car. The other problem is that all big entertainment events in the region are held in the summer time when we are fully booked. I think that the tourism department must organize more events during winter time than in the summer so that all Georgian people have more interest in coming here.

“We made a big step in developing the hospitality business, by creating a five star service, resort line of international quality,” Lela Tsulukidze, GPH Vice Executive Director Lela Tsulukidze: Unfortunately Georgians are not used to spending weekend vacations far from home yet; we are trying to create interesting weekend packages which include recreation programmes, adventure, and flexible prices for families. Bruno Costantino: It is not easy to build a 5 star hotel. You need a lot of money to achieve it. Anyway I recommend that Georgian hotels increase the quality of their service as much as possible so that they can compete with foreign brands. In my opinion GPH has raised Georgia’s image very much as it is the first 5 star hotel here.

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Georgia Aiming to Hold Top Place in the List of Wine Tourism Countries By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL “If there was proper development of wine tourism, including high quality wine as well as service, existence of marked wine routes and maps, Georgia would hold a leading place in the top ten best wine countries,” claims Maia Sidamonidze, Head of the Georgian National Tourism Agency (GNTA). “Several new ‘maranis’ (traditional wine storage basements) were opened in the last three months. Historical ‘maranis’ have also been rehabilitated. Interest from foreign investors in wine tourism has importantly increased.” Marina Metreveli, an expert on tourism agrees that wine tourism is one important direction of tourism in Georgia. “Wine tourism is a really very important and profitable part of tourism,” Metreveli said. “This direction has the possibility to develop very successfully if it is mapped out

well. But I am not sure that GNTA has properly foreseen the project of wine tourism development. This concerns not just wine tourism but tourism development in general.” “We have a list of the best ‘maranis’ which are already prepared to receive international visitors. The majority of such places are located in Kakheti. But some other regions including Racha, Imereti, Guria, Qartli and Ajara have great potential,” Sidamonidze stated. The list is published on the special webpage www.winetours.ge. There is detailed information about Kakheti, the biggest region of vineyards in Georgia. Information about 16 maranis at Kakheti with all details including price, possibilities of accommodation, Georgian cuisine, souvenir shops and guides are available on this webpage. All necessary information about tour operators is published on this webpage as well. Each tour operator offers their own programme with different services and prices.

One marani out of the list is Wine House Gurjaani. When it’s the season, guests at the Wine House have the opportunity to participate in the grape harvest, pressing and winemaking, brewing Georgian vodka, baking Shoti (Georgian national bread) and making Churchkhela. There is a gift shop selling handicrafts as well. The maximum capacity of the Wine House is twelve people per night. Another marani is located in Kardinakhi. The marani offers one and two-day tours in-

cluding different services. The main part of both tours is a visit to the marani in Kardinakhi. The cost of a one day tour is 120 GEL per person and 320 GEL for two day tours. Travel Club is one of the agencies offering wine tours in Georgia. “We arrange three, five and seven day wine tours. There are about ten destinations in Kakheti and 28 in the whole of Georgia. They are located in Racha, Kutaisi etc,” Beka Tujishvili, Incoming Tour Operator of Travel Club, told The

FINANCIAL. “The majority of customers are foreigners, especially from Ukraine. The main tours are in Sighnaghi and Bodbe which includes visiting the marani in the village Chumlaki. As well as Ukrainians, tourists from Armenia, Russia, Spain, Italy and France tend to visit Georgia for wine tours. The price of a three-day wine tour varies from 250 USD to 300 USD. The price changes according to the requirements of the tourists. This tour includes wine pressing, making Churchkhela, traditional Georgian sweets, and baking the traditional Georgian bread Shoti,” he explained. According to Travel Club Georgians are also interested in wine tours but not individual travellers. Corporate groups often demand tours on vintage. As well as small private maranis there is a big wine tunnel in Kvareli and the Tsinandali marani are a must show in Kakheti for tourists interested in wine tours.

The wine tunnel in Kvareli is 7.5 km in length. There is a permanent temperature of about 14 degrees for the benefit of the grapes there. Various wines are kept all along the tunnel and there is also a small ethnologic museum. Tourists are met at the entrance with samples of sparkling wines. Later in the tunnel they will taste about eight different types of wines starting from soft white wine and ending with dessert wine. The price of the wine tour in the tunnel depends on the size of the group. It is approximately 15-20 GEL per person. The history of Kakheti winegrowing starts from VI millennium BC. Grape leftovers, discovered by archaeologists, date back to the mentioned period and are the oldest found around the globe, which proves once again that Georgia is the homeland of wine. Scientists believe that the word Ghvino (wine, vin, vine) is of Georgian origin. 500 out of the world-known 2,000 grape species are Georgian.

French Insurance Broker Giant Gras Savoye has Entered Georgia By MARIAM PAPIDZE The FINANCIAL

ne of the leading French insurance broker companies Gras Savoye has entered the Georgian Market. Representatives of the company hope their 100 years of experience and intellectual, financial resources will help local companies to develop better on the Georgian market. This is its first branch in the region. Gras Savoye officials explain that by entering the Georgian market the company has made a strategically important point in the Caucasus region. After Georgia, Gras Savoye is going to enter Armenia and Azerbaijan as well. Gras Savoye covers various insurance, including industrial risks, public liability, construction, transportation, motor fleet, financial and political risks and employee benefits insurance. It serves small, medium and large companies; banks and financial institutions, local government authorities; proprietors and collectors, self-employed, individuals, as well as the health care sector. Gras Savoye was founded in 1907 and has been the leading insurance broker in France since 1992. Nino Kobakhidze, the Director of Gras Savoye Georgia, gave her first exclusive interview to The FINANCIAL, where she introduces to Georgia the company and its purpose here. “Gras Savoye is one of the world’s top ten broker companies. This is a multi-brand company which incorporates every type of insurance: Industrial Risks, Public Liability, Construction, Transportation, Motor Fleet, Financial and Political Risks, Credit Contingency Insurance (cinema, exhibitions, museums, and events), Employee Benefits. We always find a solution, whatever the size of the client, large, small or medium-size companies,

banks and financial institutions, local government authorities, self-employed, health sector, proprietors and collectors, individuals etc...” Q. What was the reason behind the decision of Gras Savoye to enter the Georgian market? A. To be convenient for clients, Gras Savoye has always favoured its geographical spread at a local level. Every year it tries to open at least one new office. The company is expanding in the context of the region. Today we have only one office here, on Murman Lebanidze Street. We are going to expand not only in Tbilisi, but in the regions as well. Revenue growth is another reason why Gras Savoye entered the market here, of course. With forty offices in metropolitan France and in French overseas territories, Gras Savoye is the leading broking insurance regional network. With the partnership with Willis Group, Gras Savoye Willis today possesses one of the most powerful broking networks worldwide, present in more than 100 countries. There is great interest in and sympathy for Georgia in France. Many French businesses are successfully operating here. Our goal is to help French and foreign business in general to operate in Georgia safely, with less risks. Tourism, energy, logistic and financial services are interesting sectors for French investors. Gras Savoye is well enough experienced in creating new products and offering them to clients and insurance companies. We are going to do the same in Georgia, to bring new products here. For example, we will offer insurance companies health insurance product sales abroad. Also liability insurance, which means covering another party’s losses. When a person damages another’s car and the car is not insured, in this case this person compensates for the dam-

Nino Kobakhidze, the Director of Gras Savoye Georgia

age by their liability insurance. Another new product will be employee benefits. This is the social protection of employees and represents defence of the most important part in the exploitation budget of all enterprises. Gras Savoye proposes a complete methodology and pragmatic approach to confirm the social protection of employees at an optimal global cost. Q. Gras Savoye carefully examined the Georgian market and the risk factors here. Please could

you tell us the results and how the company is going to decrease these risk factors? A. Entrance to the Georgian market was the initiative of the French side. They wanted to have a branch in this region. So they started negotiations with the Georgian side with Gras Savoye Turkey. Representatives from Turkey came here and met the Insurance Supervision Service of Georgia. The negotiations lasted for three months. In the first stage Grass Sa-

voye started to explore the market. Also, they were doing their risk assessment. Then they wrote the following analysis. They determined what type of new products would be useful for Georgia. In this process I offered them several schemes for developing insurance business in the country. We are going to cooperate with all of the insurance companies in Georgia. Gras Savoye observed Georgian clients as well and decided to improve life, health and property insurance and to involve clients in the reinsurance process. We want to offer them a foreign insurance programme as well. Gras is offering its clients two types of service. One of them is to be an intermediary between client and insurance company and to create a proper expectation. The other thing is services, the whole technical process which the insurance company implements after the conclusion of the agreement. Q. Who will be your staff that will execute all these changes? A. The staff consists of employees with seven years of experience. I have nine years of experience in this sphere myself. Previously I worked for GPI Holding where I was Head of the Sales Department. As a promotion it was a very successful and attractive step for me to go on to work with Gras Savoye. We will bring together experienced specialists from other insurance companies in Georgia. We are going to open a training centre for insurance managers. There will be professionals who will explain to the clients what will be paid or not paid. Which insurance company is suitable for them or whether it is necessary to be insured. Q. Clients always complain about bad insurance service in Georgia. The confidence coefficient is low here. What is your strategy for such a situa-

tion? A. Despite all the problems in the insurance business, this is the best time to enter the Georgian market. We will do our best to solve all the problems here. We are not mediators or a monitoring company. We just give local insurance companies incentives to improve the quality of their service. Our advantage is to offer such a kind of contract to the client that avoids bad service. We will be the guarantee for the clients. The Georgian Government really tries to support insurance business. An insurance programme for people below the poverty line and an insurance product for employees and pensioners was a very positive step. This promotion is very necessary because without insurance the economic sector will not develop. But the mistake was that the insurance process started without raising awareness first. People did not have the whole information about insurance at all. So it was perceived by people as a charitable foundation. They should have the right expectations of the insurance system. We decided not to be neutral in this situation but to stand by the client’s side; to protect the client’s interests. At least six years are necessary for people to believe that insurance is really useful for them. Abroad, even 30 year contracts are made between clients and their insurance company. Every contract should be concluded through the mediation of a broker. Q. Is it possible to insure property in the conflict zones of Georgia? A. We consider the country’s conflict zones to be within Georgia’s territory. Although I do not think it would be possible to enter these regions at the moment, we want to provide the population in these zones with information about our company, our service and plans.

FINANCIAL HEADLINE NEWS & ANALYSIS

FINCHANNEL.COM | DECEMBER 5, 2011

travel business European Tourism Grows Above Expectations - the USA (+11%) and Spain (+10%) – show exports from tourism growing above the rate of arrivals, while growth in Italy (+6%), Germany (+6%) and the UK (+7%) was also significant. In terms of source markets, expenditure on travel abroad continued to be very strong from the emerging economies of China (+30%), Russia (+21%), Brazil (+44%) and India (+33%). Major mature markets such as Germany (+4%), the USA (+5%), Canada (+6%) and Italy (+4%) also performed positively, while growth in expenditure on travel abroad from the Scandinavian markets, the Republic of Korea and Australia was particularly strong.

The FINANCIAL International tourist arrivals grew by a healthy 4.5% in the first eight months of 2011 according to the latest data from UNWTO. Europe (+6%), surprisingly, showed the strongest growth amid continuing economic uncertainty.

JanuaryAugust 2011: Positive note despite increased uncertainty International tourist arrivals grew by 4.5% in the first eight months of 2011 to a total of 671 million (29 million more than in the same period of 2010). The Northern Hemisphere summer peak season months of July and August showed encouraging results with growth at close to 4% over 2010, corresponding to an extra 8 million arrivals. At 118 million, July saw the highest number of international tourist arrivals ever recorded in one month (August: 112 million). Contrary to the trend in recent years, growth in arrivals during the first eight months of 2011 was higher in advanced economies (+4.9%) than in emerging ones (+4.0%), due largely to the particularly strong results of Europe (+6%). In Northern Europe (+7%) and Central and Eastern Europe (+8%),

Outlook for 2012

recovery from the 2009 decline, which began in 2010, gained momentum this year. The same is true for some Southern European destinations (+8%), which this year also benefited from the shift of travel away from Middle East (-9%) and North Africa (-15%). Contrasting with growing economic uncertainty, European Union destinations (+6%) benefited strongly from this growth, bringing some relief for those destinations facing major economic challenges such as Greece (+14%), Ireland (+13%), Portugal (+11%) or Spain (+8%).

“Despite current volatility, international tourism is proving to be an important economic driver for many European economies, bringing much needed foreign exchange and helping to ease the pressure on their balance of payments,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “UNWTO encourages European governments to support tourism and consider the sector as one that can back economic recovery given its capacity to distribute wealth and create jobs across the region,” he added. In Asia (+6%), destinations in South-East (+12%) and

South Asia (+13%) remained the rising stars, with doubledigit growth rates, while arrivals slowed in North-East Asia – partly due to the decline in Japanese outbound tourism – and in Oceania. South America (+13%) continues to lead growth in the Americas (+5%) benefiting from positive economic trends in the region and increased regional integration. Results in the other sub-regions – North America (+3%) Central America (+4%) and the Caribbean (+4%) – were slightly below average. In Africa arrivals were down by 4% as a result of the

downturn in North Africa; Sub-Saharan African destinations grew by +4%. In spite of the current situation in the Middle East, some destinations such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue to grow steadily. Results of recent months (July and August) also show an improvement in arrivals to Egypt. Data on receipts from and expenditure on international tourism for the first eight months of 2011 confirm the positive trend in arrivals. Among the top ten destinations in international tourism receipts, the two main earners

Growth is expected to soften in the remainder of 2011 and international tourist arrivals are projected to end the year at between +4.0% and +4.5%, in line with UNWTO’s forecast at the beginning of the year. For 2012, growth is forecast to be in the range of +3% to +4%, slightly lower than in 2011 but sustaining the positive results of 2010 (+7%) and 2011. “A stalled economic recovery and increased financial and fiscal challenges have brought growing uncertainty to the tourism market. Nevertheless, the trends of recent months make us confident that though at a slower pace, international tourism will continue to grow in 2012, creating much needed exports and jobs in many economies around the world,” said Mr. Rifai.

UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts: Europe

Forecast 2011: 4.0% to 4.5%

175

Better

150 125

Equal

100 Prospects

10.3 8.0 5.4

5.5

3.0

6.6

2.1

2 0

50 25

2012: 3% to 4%

Worse

International tourist arrivals

V-shape comparable to arrivals change (% )

CMYK

Evaluation

-2

-0.1 -1.6

-4

T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11

Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) ©

-3.8

-6

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011* 2012* Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Dubai is the Top New Year Destination for Georgian Travellers By TAKO KHELAIA The FINANCIAL

ubai is the number one New Year destination among Georgians this year. Egypt and the Czech Republic are also in the list of the most popular countries to visit. Italy and France remain the top destinations for the Christmas holidays. “Compared to last year, demand in Georgia for tours to Dubai has significantly increased. This is due to the entrance of Fly Dubai to the Georgian market. Prices of Fly Dubai tours are quite affordable and twice cheaper than last year. Due to the tight com-

petition, Georgian airlines Airzena decreased the prices and cost of their tour package to Dubai which is now quite acceptable,” said Ella Karapetyan, Director of BusinessTravelCom (tel: 2 999 662). “The prices of a one week tour to Dubai start from 1,000-1,200 USD for two persons. The tour includes the cost of a 3 star hotel, transfer to the hotel, air tickets, visa and insurance. A flight to Dubai by Airzena costs 212 USD and 270 USD on Fly Dubai. A ten day trip to Egypt for two persons costs 1,500 USD. This price includes air tickets, transfer to the hotel, accommodation at a 4 star hotel (all inclusive) and insurance. A double room at a 3

star hotel in Egypt now costs 1,350 USD for ten days,” Karapetyan said. France, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic are all popular destinations for holidays. A flight to Prague starts from 390 EUR, Rome - 250 EUR, Milan - 245 EUR, Paris 250 EUR, Vienna - 300 EUR. 3 star hotel bed and breakfast prices for two people per night start from 39 EUR in Prague, 65 EUR in Rome, 63 EUR in Milan, 67 EUR in Paris, and 68 EUR in Vienna. “Dubai, Paris and Italy are the most popular destinations with our company’s customers. Dubai has become very popular lately. Most Georgians choose Dubai for their New Year vacation. The price

of a one week tour to Dubai starts from 560 USD, tours to Europe and in particular Paris and Italy are from 500 EUR. The cost of the trip includes airline tickets, hotel, transfer and insurance process,” said Nana Chkheidze, Director of the company Green Travel. “A cheaper flight, good service quality and nice atmosphere make this country the most attractive for Georgian tourists. Due to political instability though, the number of people willing to visit Egypt has also much decreased. Visiting France and Italy at Christmas, including on shopping tours and one week trips remain quite popular still,” said Beka Tujishvili, Travel Club.

CMYK

HEADLINE NEWS & ANALYSIS

FINANCIAL

DECEMBER 5, 2011 | FINCHANNEL.COM

travel business

THE LONG ROAD Scenario Planning for 2012: Emerging Markets Provide the Glimmer Guy de Fontgalland

et us try and leave the years from 2009 behind us. So much has happened to give planners and strategists sleepless nights. We have just run through a tornado in the financial and economic sectors of mostly the US and European economies. And as we are about to bake our cakes for Christmas and New Year, six major central banks have come together to provide a ray of hope that the financial turmoil will not make us retreat and that the world has not come to an end. The stock markets have started galloping again and we are made to believe that the eternal worries of losing value of our savings, finding investments to start up ventures or expand them, and keeping the fires burning during winter at home are indeed over. Thank heavens. While the financial fires raged across most countries, there have been strong performances by some countries which have doggedly held the course and maintained a healthy economic growth. And these countries have proven that it is not necessarily all gloom and doom, and that the next set of scenario planning for positive growth and people’s welfare do have substantial fundamentals. Let us look at some statistics: Brazil recorded 7.5% GDP growth, is ranked the 6th largest economy with a total of $2.517 trillion and a per capital income of $10,816. It is an impressive performance. China pulled off $5.93 trillion by way of GDP, is ranked 2nd largest economy with a GDP growth of 10.4% and a per capita income of $4,382. India, now claiming the largest population on earth and combating corruption across government is ranked 9th largest economy, recorded an 8.5% growth, with a GDP of $1,632 trillion and a per capita income of $1,371. Russia is another country with a strong growth curve. It’s GDP was $1.465 trillion, had a 4.9% GDP growth with a per capita income of

$10,521. It is ranked 10 on the scale of largest economies. Indonesia, once a corruption-ridden and inefficient economy has sprung back to life and is now a significant global player. It recorded one trillion in GDP with a 6.1 growth and a per capita income of $4,200. Argentina, bankrupted and unable to pay its debt just 10 years ago with riots and five presidents in 10 days has performed well with a GDP of 370 billion, 9.2% GDP growth and a per capita income of $9,583. Turkey, which too needed a bailout fund of $10 billion ten years ago is now one of the fastest growing and dynamic economies in the European hemisphere. It recorded a GDP of $1.116 trillion, a 9 per cent growth and a per capita income of $10,106. Georgia’s GDP at $20 billion and an average growth rate of 7.9% during 2004 to 2008 took a dive after the 2008 war with Russia, but has regained a remarkable strength with a positive forecast of 6% for 2011. The statistics are for 2009 and there will be marginal differences when adjusted, but the performances show that the doom and gloom surrounding us in Europe have not not necessarily been the case with the vibrant economies of Brazil, China, India, Russia, Indonesia and Turkey, merely to site some examples. A number of other countries, from Sri Lanka to Zambia have also posted positive growth and these economies have not been severely damaged by the crisis that is being managed by world leaders now. Brazil, China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Argentina and Turkey comprise a massive labour force of 1.6 billion which is approximately 50% of the world’s labour force. This is significant as half of the working humanity has indeed been employed in economies which were healthy and were growing. In addition, the Purchasing Power Parity ratio in these countries were

almost double that of their GDPs, allowing employees and their families to a better value for the money they have earned to spend on food, shelter, education and transport. These successful economies are indeed keeping a close watch on the US and European economies and how they will perform in 2012 and beyond. Any continued austerity measures and cut backs on investments will have a direct and long standing impact on the economies of emerging markets. If there be a global scenario planning for growth and the avoidance of financial and economic disasters, it is important mainly for developed economies to understand that it is no more valid and efficient for them to continue to strive for higher and higher standards of living and spending which often sucks out much of the money required for real economic development at home and for investments overseas.. The next phase of scenario planning on a global stage needs to address issues of inequality in wealth distribution, whether it be in Germany, Britain or in Argentina which will take into account the creation of a global mechanism to redistribute global wealth through sound investment policies which will provide incentives to corporations to put more money into agriculture, tourism and manufacturing in developing and emerging markets such as Georgia. I have often argued that, while donor-funding and financing of development projects are useful, it is critical to incentivise private sector to take the investment risks they ought to take in emerging markets and energise their ventures through a multiple scheme of low cost development finance, tax incentives and low premium risk insurances. Such a strategy could perhaps bring about an even and prosperous development platform on a global stage.

Irakli Gilauri, General Director of BOG

Bank of Georgia Investing 783,000 GEL in Express Service Centres By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

heir speed, simplicity, convenience and ultramodern design are the main advantages of Bank of Georgia’s new format of service centre. The nine new express service centres are the first of the Bank’s new offers under the project Feel the Future. The cost of each centre is 87,000 GEL. “Opening nine service centres in one day is an unprecedented event in the Georgian banking sector,” claims Irakli Gilauri, General Director of BOG. The express service centres are divided into two parts. The first part is a self-service area which is open 24 hours a day. Special staff is available to help clients perform online operations in this area if necessary. The second half of the centre will be open from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m. on week days and from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. at weekends. Cashier-operators will serve customers in this part. “The majority of Georgians aren’t yet used to performing operations online,” said Irakli Gilauri. “They are afraid of making mistakes and so they often refrain from using this despite its speed, which is the main advantage of doing online transactions. Therefore customers can use the support of our staff at ordinary service centres even though the service is not as fast there. Queues are also common at service centres. We have combined the advantages of these two services and got one ideal format: the express service centre. This means that customers can operate online transactions with the support of our staff.” “As well as increasing our client’s satisfaction rate, we want to raise the number of

online transactions with our new format. At the moment we have more than a million online transactions annually. However this number isn’t high enough.” In the second part of the express centres bank clients can get ordinary service like that which is available at other service centres. Clients can have fast and simple access to the products created specially for express customers. The special express product entails: registration of an express package which includes express card, multi-currency account, online banking and SMS banking service. As well as this the express service also entails registration of an express deposit, filling out an application for express credit and express orange. The express package also involves usage of some other bank products: filling out the application for an American Express Blue card, activating the services of mobile banking, automatic banking, electronic piggybank etc. “Almost all the services at the express centres can be carried out in under five minutes,” Gilauri explained. “Every customer can open a deposit by an ATM and start saving money from as little as 10 GEL in five minutes. This is an unprecedented service in Georgia. We had the minimal margin for opening a deposit in Georgia before this but 10 GEL is a totally new offer. We want our customers to start thinking about small deposits as they can prove to be quite helpful after several years.” “Anyone who has an express card and gets their salary via this card will have the possibility to be approved express credit from 200 GEL up to 6,000 GEL in five minutes via ATM as well. The terms of the credit will be individual.”

As well as express credit, any customer can get ordinary credit at the new service centres. The terms of the service and tariffs will be the same as at other service centres. The design of the new express service centres are of a totally new format as well. Colour Means Service is their new concept. There are four main colours in the interior and each colour defines the area for a specific type of service such as ATM or online banking. The nine new express service centres are located in different districts of Tbilisi including the suburbs. 45 individuals are employed at these centres. Staff members wear a special uniform. Bank of Georgia plans to expand its number of express service centres up to 50 by 2012. They will be located not just in Tbilisi, but in the regions of Georgia including Batumi, Kutaisi and Gori. Bank of Georgia is a leading bank in Georgia. The Bank holds 36 percent of the market according to data of the Georgian National Bank as of June 30, 2011. Net Interest Income of the bank in the second quarter of bank is 51.7 million GEL (28.0 million USD), Net Non-Interest Income - 29.6 million GEL (16.1 million USD). Total Operating Income (Revenue) for the same period is 81.3 million GEL (44.1 million USD). The Bank has 425 ATMs and 143 service centres across Georgia. Seven of these centres are working 24 hourly and 23 are located on the underground. The Bank owns 627,000 plastic cards, out of which 112,000 are credit cards. The Bank of Georgia has recently moved to a new head office. President Mikheil Saakashvili has unveiled the new office.

CMYK

FINANCIAL HEADLINE NEWS & ANALYSIS

FINCHANNEL.COM | DECEMBER 5, 2011

travel business Extreme

Tourism and Adventure in Georgia By MARIAM PAPIDZE The FINANCIAL

AP Photo

Georgian Labour Migrants Flee from Eurozone Crisis By SOPHIO DATISHVILI The FINANCIAL

overnment crisis, economy at the edge of default, no jobs, rallies and strikes almost every week: This is autumn 2011 in Greece. This is the country where a large majority of Georgian job seekers used to migrate to. A lot of them have had to return today, as having once escaped unemployment in their own country, they were trapped by it again in another. Data of the Georgian National Bank shows that Greece is in second place in terms of the amount of money transfers to Georgia (it comes after the Russian Federation). About 40 million USD were transferred from Greece during the first half of 2011. Labour migration to Greece started in the 90s. It was the first stream of Georgian labour migrants who escaped from the economic stagnation of the country and unemployment. Other popular destinations for job migrants from Georgia were Turkey and Russia. Global research company Gallup estimated that the number of Georgians working illegally in Russia ranged from 300,000 to 1 million in 2006. About one in twelve Georgians (8%) told Gallup that someone in their household was working abroad temporarily -- and of those, 41% said that the person worked in Russia. In the same period Moscow deported several hundred Georgians and shut down a number of businesses run by Georgians in Russia. That increased the number of Georgian job migrants in Greece. According to the country profile of International Organization of Migration, the number of Georgian migrants in Greece in 2007 was 13,791. Some of that first flow of legal migrants even have citizenship now, but this factor didn’t prevent them coming back after the crisis erupted. Georgian society has historic relations with Greeks. Greeks settled in Western Georgia over the centuries. Today the Greek Diaspora in Georgia is estimated at be-

tween 15,000 and 20,000 people down from about 100,000 in 1989. The community has dwindled due to the large wave of repatriation to Greece. Most of the Greeks fled Abkhazia (mostly to Greece and Russia) during and after the 1992-1993 war. Lela Sikharulidze, 26, left Athens several months ago with her husband and son who are citizens of Greece. The family had arranged its life well, the husband had a permanent job in a store house of Adidas. Her mother in law had been there for many years already. To cut it short Greece had become their second home, until the rallies erupted. The labour market became like a battlefield in the country. Lela says that even the attitude of the natives was a little bit negative towards foreigners who got employment there. Most of the Georgians working in Greece have kind of altruistic reasons, sending money back home monthly because they have parents or children here to support. With simple economic calculations, they try to spend less on the ground and help their families instead. “I appeared to have more expenses than income, so I left,” recalls Lika, another ex-migrant in Greece, who used to work in Thessaloniki at a summer tavern. When the season ended, she had no hope of finding anything else so she had to return back three months ago. This year has definitely been difficult for Greece. The country’s public sector spending has grown, while revenue has fallen, then economic activity slowed and unemployment rose up to 18.4 percent. This brought the fiscal situation to a critical margin. The International Monetary Fund and Eurozone leaders made up their mind to allot the sixth tranche of 110 billion EUR, but first of all, the country must have met the conditions of the financial assistance. This assistance has another side, the people’s. They are against wage and pension reductions and the taxes growth which the new government says is inevi-

table. This circumstance has affected the life of Georgian migrants, almost proportionally, because their employers have started to avoid extra expenses. Here are several examples: Labour migrants normally get their jobs in Athens at a special office for job seekers from Georgia and other countries. After paying 100-200 EUR (depending on the salary they will have) they find employment. Now due to the crisis, the tendency has changed. Since the families who hire domestic workers also have to pay, they try to use personal contacts instead. The families also bring elderly people together or two or three relatives are given to one person for care. This is how locals save money now. Tsitsino calls herself Copela in conversation. This word is for a domestic worker woman in Greek. She has been living and working illegally in Athens for six years already. “…when the crisis started my employers asked me to look after two elderly people of one family. As they are relatives the family decided to save the money. They paid me 800 EUR for one person, but now I get 900 EUR for two of them”. The condition isn’t profitable at first glance, but the primary reason to stay for Tsitsino is the good relations she has with the family and also that there aren’t as many jobs in the country as there used to. Although the situation is difficult for most Georgians there, some of them still feel comfortable in the ancient European country. Giorgi Bezhanishvili, 26, is a young Georgian doctorate degree researcher in Thessaloniki. The debt crisis of the Greek Government didn’t have a direct impact on him as he is an EU scholarship winner but he says that finding a job has become difficult for others in the town, on top of which the prices are getting higher. He knows from direct observation that these circumstances have had a big impact on Georgian migrants. Still he feels optimistic and doesn’t think that he chose the wrong time to go to Greece to study. “The rallies sometimes make

problems with public transport but it isn’t a permanent problem. In general I feel absolutely safe here. I think that the Greeks have preserved their old Hellenic spirit and I’m sure they will be able to change the situation into a positive one,” he hopes. Greece isn’t the only back runner by its economics in the Eurozone. Rome and Athens seem to not only have their past and history in common but present problems as well. Some Georgians from Greece also decided to move to Italy but almost simultaneously with Greece, Italy had to change its cabinet as it started to face the debt crisis as well. Asmat, a woman from Georgia, was an illegal migrant in the Italian town Porto Gruari until the national economic problems started. Three weeks ago she returned back home. Asmat says many Georgians are in search of jobs there, packed in rented shelters spending days without any hope of finding something. She thinks that coming back home was a good choice given the situation. As it seems, Italians have come up with their own ways of saving money in terms of the economic crisis. For example, they have started to take their elderly parents out of their retirement homes and look after their elderly themselves, therefore many Georgians have lost their jobs as many Georgian women in Italy as well as in Greece are either housekeepers or looking after elderly people. As for the men, most of them work at factories. The average salary in both countries is almost the same. It is 1,371 EUR in Greece and 1,457 EUR in Italy (As for Georgian workers it varies from 700-800). Compared to Greece, Italy has always been more loyal to migrants. For example, in 2003 700,000 immigrants were given legal recognition in Italy. This was the second largest amount after the US in the 80s. The country has numerous aid centres where migrants from all over the world can get food, clothes and other facilities. This makes it easier for them to endure the crisis. Inga Kovziridze is a labour

migrant in Naples who regularly visits such a centre. As the supermarket prices have become high recently, she gets food and medicine there. Her monthly income is 600 EUR which Inga has to save and sends to her husband and son in Georgia. “Prices are high and the number of foreign job seekers is huge. There are many Georgians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Bulgarians and Africans here and they all need jobs,” she said. Inga appreciates the effort made by the Government to help all of them. Not just the facilities but also the law makes Italy a good place for labour migrants. The Italian Government issues a Stream decree every year (last time it was issued in winter 2011), which is a Legal Act for non EU citizens to enter the country for legal working reasons. (This is a joint application of a non-European citizen and the family that wants to recruit him/her for domestic work and other duties.) The country is in third place in the list of money transfers to Georgia according to NBG (it envisaged 30 million USD in the first half of this year and 6 million USD in October 2011 alone.) Italy became a popular destination for labour migrants of Georgia a bit later than Greece, in the first half of the 2000s, when Georgia’s unemployment rate was about 12-13 percent. In 2007 811 legal Georgian migrants were recorded in Italy. Economic expert Nodar Khaduri doesn’t think the crisis in Italy and Greece is in any way connected with the flow of migrants in those countries. He says that the main problem is that the Eurozone has a common monetary policy but at the same time independent budget and they didn’t have coordinated work among themselves. Also he is sure the crisis isn’t caused by Greece. “What happens in Greece and Italy is the logical result of their policy. Those countries were spending more than they actually had, so they were borrowing more money. Italy and France just stretched their budgets further than they could afford.”

“Rafting is the most popular extreme sport in Georgia. We had more than 10,000 tourists that took part in rafting tours in the country in 2011. Our main clients are Georgians and foreigners living in Georgia. Diplomats, students and representatives of ministries are very interested in rafting,” said Mamuka Burduli, Director of Adventure Club Jomardi. “Bike tours are also very popular. The number of bikes sold increased this year as well. In general I do not consider extreme tourism to be at all developed in Georgia. But I would say that we have the greatest potential for extreme tourism. We just need professional, qualified staff,” he added. “Extreme tourism is developing wherever there exists the unique nature to support it and does not need developed infrastructure,” said Maia Sidamonidze, Head of the National Tourism Agency. “This kind of tourism is for individual tourists. The canyons, caves, high mountains and rivers in Georgia give tourists the possibility to enjoy the unique nature and adrenalin that comes with the sport. Several directions of extreme tourism have always been developed in Georgia, such as rock climbing for example. Extreme tourism is becoming more and more popular among Georgians as well. Famous tourist destinations such as Chile and certain African countries choose extreme tourism as a direction to find their niche on the world market,” Sidamonidze added. “In extreme tourism the traveller should expect the unexpected. It is a form of niche tourism to dangerous places. Georgia is full of such places,” said Mamuka Nikoladze, Director of the Union of Speleology. “Georgians are not involved in extreme sport in general. They prefer to go to a restaurant than go caving. If we want to develop extreme tourism we’d better bring foreign extreme sportsmen here. When Georgians see how attractive and impressive this kind of sport is, they will follow the foreigners. So gradually extreme tourism will develop in Georgia too,” he added. Another popular type of extreme tourism is paragliding landing. “Paragliding landing is extreme tourism which can be very profitable for the country. Georgians are interested in this sport along with foreign tourists,” said Irakli Kapanadze, Head of the Paragliding Club. “Tbilisi Sea is a very convenient place for paragliding landing. There are other interesting places in Georgia as well, but Tbilisi Sea is a place where you have the possibility to fly and land several times,” he added. Among the interesting and adventurous tours that Georgian clubs and organizations offer, is air-service as well. This is available in Natakhtari airport located just 20 miles North of Tbilisi. “From any location in Georgia it is possible to call an air-taxi,” said Anano Kekelia, the Manager of Vanilla sky, which offers an airtaxi service. “The average time of a typical one way flight to a destination within Georgia is one hour. Flight cost: 200 EUR per hour for an airplane, and 1,500 EUR per hour for a helicopter. This service is intended for middle and higher income customers,” she added.

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DECEMBER 5, 2011 | FINCHANNEL.COM

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Giorgi Lipartiani, General Director of LOT Travel

LOT Polish Airlines has Experienced 300 Percent Sales Increase in Georgia During One Year By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

OT Polish Airlines, has flown 25,000 passengers since September 15, 2012, when it started operating in Georgia, the company claims. 20,300 of those passengers were from January till November 2011, while there were just 4,500 passengers in total in 2010. “Our sales have increased by 250-300 percent compared to this period last year,” Giorgi Lipartiani, General Director of LOT Travel, General Sales Agent of LOT Polish Airlines, told The FINANCIAL. “The company’s head office always sets certain targets for us, and we not only meet these targets but more importantly, exceed them. LOT Polish Airlines is satisfied with our work. We started with three flights to Warsaw per week. In the summer we added a fourth flight and increased the capacity of the airplanes as well. By the end of March 2012 we plan to have five flights per week. We hope to double the results of 2011 by

the end of 2012.” Currently the Embraer 175, which has 82 seats, performs the flights. But in periods of increased demand the airplanes are changed to the Embraer 195 which has 120 seats. The company flies to 57 destinations from Warsaw including America. Soon they will be adding Beijing, China. LOT isn’t a low cost airline, but the prices are lower compared to other companies, Lipartiani claims. The starting prices of the most popular routes are as follows: Tbilisi-Warsaw return - 258 EUR, TbilisiPrague return - 272 EUR, Tbilisi-Amsterdam return - 297 EUR, Tbilisi-Nice return - 301 EUR, TbilisiParis return - 309 EUR, Tbilisi-Munich return - 326 EUR, Tbilisi-New York return - 630 EUR, and TbilisiChicago return - 742 EUR. These prices include taxes and fees. Special conditions are applied. “Poland is a friend of our country and interest is quite high from both sides,” Lipartiani explained. “Most of the time Georgians tend to

“We have 140 partners go directly to Warsaw, but in the autumn the situation that sell our tickets in Georchanges and more passen- gia. We always inform them gers tend to continue their about these discounts and journey on to different final offers and I can say that the destinations. We offer the rate of sales significantly best prices on journeys to increases on these days,” said the GenAmerica and eral Directhis route is tor. “We are very popular expecting with GeorThe competition our flights to gians.” among airline be full from As well December 15 as the low companies has till January prices LOT become healthier 15. Interest Travel someof Europeans times offers since we entered in spending discounts the market. We New Year in and actions Georgia is into its customoffer lower prices creasing and ers. Currentand yet the highest we welcome ly they have this fact.” a 20 percent service. LOT Travel discount for provides a flights till wide range the end of March. LOT also has ‘Crazy of cultural, archaeological, pilgrimage, Wednesdays’ occasionally educational, when prices of tickets are folk and culinary tours, speextremely low. They an- cial and tailor made trips for nounce these on the day so kids and family vacations, customers don’t know about business travel and MICE, them in advance. The com- combined tours with South pany has special offers for Caucasus countries, airline students and the young gen- tickets, hotel reservations, eration especially if they are car rental and transportatravelling for educational tion services to all directions. reasons.

“We are maximally oriented at client satisfaction,” he continued. “Our incoming, outgoing and ticketing departments are constantly ready to provide professional advice and schedule a tour or travel service with high accuracy and attentiveness to the requirements.” Sixteen airline companies are working in Georgia today. LOT Travel considers about seven of them its direct competitors in the market. “The competition among airline companies has become healthier since we entered the market. We offer lower prices and yet the highest service. It’s clear that the number of our clients is consistently increasing,” Lipartiani stated. “Pegasus started flying to Georgia a month and a half after our entrance. There are some other low cost airlines as well, but I don’t consider them to be our main competitors. So the existing low cost airlines don’t influence our sales negatively. Our services are totally different. For example Pegasus doesn’t serve free meals and its tickets are non-re-

fundable. The vast majority of people using low cost airlines are those who have started travelling now and simply weren’t using airlines before.” LOT Polish Airlines was founded in 1929 and is the oldest airline in Europe. The company is a member of Star Alliance, the biggest global airline alliance since 2003. LOT has been nominated eleven times as the best airline in Central and Eastern Europe. The company will have eight Boeing Dreamliner 787s by 2015. LOT Polish Airlines will be the first airline in Europe to receive such airplanes. The number of seats in the Boeings varies from 210 to 330. They will be used for long-haul flights including to America. “We have experienced a huge increase during the short period that LOT Travel has existed. I hope that in the future we’ll have fully booked flights and will need a Dreamliner 787 for this destination as well,” Lipartiani said.

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GMC Group Opening New Restaurant Slavianka The Group has plans for 50 percent increase in 2012 By NANA MGHEBRISHVILI The FINANCIAL

MC Group will be opening its new restaurant Slavianka on December 10 of this year. This will be the seventh one owned by the Group. Two popular restaurants Shemoikhede Genatsvale also use the franchise of GMC. “We will have seven restaurants in total by the end of 2011,” Tamuna Lomtatidze, General Director of GMC, told The FINANCIAL. “We plan to double our business activities in 2012. In regards to this we plan to have about fifteen restaurants. The purchase of seven more restaurants is already planned. After that we will expand our business to the regions including Achara and Svaneti.” Q. The restaurants that GMC Group owns have various different formats. Please could you describe each of them for us and tell us which is the most popular? A. We are trying to add as many cultural details to our restaurants as possible. We don’t want for them to be like every other restaurant on the market; we want to offer individual dining experiences. This is the main trait by which the restaurants of GMC distinguish themselves from others. Our first restaurant, Dzveli Sakhli, was founded ten years ago. It looks slightly like a museum. The decor and menu are very traditional and unique to Georgian culture. Kalakuri comprises a restaurant, club and lounge in one building. Therefore its client base is very diverse. The restaurant is more oriented at corporate evenings. The lounge has a more European style and its menu is European as well. The club is aimed at the young generation and the majority of its customers are from the ages of 18-25. I can proudly say that Kalakuri saw significant financial growth in 2011 of 70 percent. Shemoikhede Genatsvale offers a kind of fast food service, of national Georgian dishes though. It was the first fast food service chain of Georgian traditional cuisine. These restaurants are aimed at all types of clients. We added a children’s corner and special children’s menu in 2010. We are trying to instil a sense of loyalty towards the brand in the country’s youngest generation from childhood. We have the grill house Bohema as well. This isn’t operating currently as the restaurant is located entirely on a terrace. Bohema was working very successfully during the summer and therefore we have decided to reinvest in it and turn it into an indoor restaurant with a large terrace. Many exciting dishes will soon be available at Bohema. Q. Matrioshka was a very famous restaurant in the GMC network, but now the restaurant is

closed. What were the reasons for closing the restaurant and did its location play any role in this as Hero Square has been under reconstruction for so long? A. Matrioshka was working very successfully over the years, however the strained relations between Russia and Georgia, in particular the war in 2008, influenced the business very negatively. The number of clients significantly decreased at that time. Hence we closed the restaurant in May 2010. The long reconstruction process of Hero Square did play a role in making this decision, but not the deciding one. The main reason was that there was no longer adequate demand for a Russian restaurant in the market. Despite this we haven’t lost the format at all, because people do love Russian cuisine and entertainment. Slavianka, a new Slavic style restaurant, will be opened on December 10 as a replacement of Matrioshka. The location is the same as before but now the restaurant will be more noticeable in the newly rehabilitated Hero Square than it used to be before. We will be offering various services including the cuisine of eight Slavic countries, Slavic music and special events dedicated to Slavic holidays. The design is of a Slavic style as well. The restaurant will be oriented at business delegations and people from official and state organizations, embassies in particular. Q. You used to own the Japanese restaurant Tokyo, however it is now closed. Do you think that Georgians simply aren’t attracted to such cuisine, even though eastern food is very popular everywhere else in the world? Do you plan to expand your network in the direction of eastern cuisine such as Japanese and Chinese food at all? A. I wouldn’t say that it a case of Georgians not liking the taste. Sushi, the world popular Japanese food, is very popular in Tbilisi as well. Given the specificity of the market though, too many niche restaurants can’t work successfully here. The population of Tbilisi isn’t big enough for it and at the same time such food is not affordable for everyone. For example two Japanese restaurants and four Chinese restaurants are enough for the Tbilisi market until the average salary of the typical Georgian becomes at least 700 GEL. It would be profitable if eastern restaurants were to open in the regions in the future as well. Tokyo was the first Japanese restaurant in Georgia. It was very popular during its two years of operations. However recently Perovskaia Street (where it was situated) has become a place for pubs, not for serious restaurants. In general a different type of person visits the street now. So the clients of Tokyo weren’t satisfied with the place any more. In 2010 we closed and sold the building. GMC Group was experiencing some financial problems at the time and we had totally different aims. That’s why we couldn’t afford a new building. We will definitely open a Japanese restaurant in 2012 though. This has already been planned and arranged. As for a Chinese restaurant,

Tamuna Lomtatidze, General Director of GMC

we don’t plan to expand our chain in this direction. Chinese restaurants definitely need Chinese cooks. I’ve had quite a lot of experience working with them and I don’t like the attitude they have towards their work. Chinese people in general don’t uphold hygiene norms at all. It’s almost impossible to get them to agree to a certain level of hygiene in the kitchen. That’s why I don’t want to open a Chinese restaurant. Eastern cuisine will be an important part of our network in the future. Q. You mentioned that Japanese restaurants are barely affordable for the average Georgian. On the other hand, fast food is a very popular and cheap way of eating worldwide. Do you plan to expand the GMC network in this direction? A. We are holding negotiations with already existing fast food chains and we will probably buy some of them by 2012. We aren’t planning to buy the franchise of any international fast food chain or found any kind of local one offering burgers. A new local brand would require very expensive technology, which we can’t currently afford. But I don’t exclude the possibility of such development in the future. Q. Can you tell us what the whole amount of investment is that GMC Group has put in over the years? How much was it in 2011? And what are your plans for 2012? A. It’s difficult to provide the exact number for the whole amount of investments. It is a

very large amount, as for example the starting investment amount of Kalakuri was 5 million GEL. It was renovated in 2010 which cost 100,000 GEL. The initial investment in Slavianka amounts to 90,000 GEL. The starting capital of Bohema was just 15,000 GEL by comparison, but 500,000 USD will be spent on reinvesting in it in 2012. The whole amount of investments to be spent in 2012 is 250,000 GEL. We had serious financial problems in 2008-2010. That’s why we couldn’t reinvest in Tokyo. It was the period when we renovated Kalakuri. Since 2010 however, we have been strong financially and are strengthening our positions in the market. Q. What kind of price policy do you have? How often do you change the prices in the restaurants? A. The prices of products have increased by 100 percent compared to last year. For example whereas meat used to be 6-7 GEL, now it can go up to 15 GEL in the market. GMC Group, however, as a huge and stable buyer has its own sellers, providing products for less. That’s why the prices in our network haven’t increased according to product prices on the market. The price increase at our chain is about 10 percent. Product prices change very frequently but our prices don’t follow them. I keep more stable ones. Just as the costs of products are increasing quickly, they may decrease very soon as well. If I were to change prices so frequently, I would lose a lot of clients. Therefore I prefer to have more stable prices than lose clients because

of too frequent price changes. As a result I may have less revenue for a short period of time, but then work successfully during the rest of the year. Q. In spite of this restaurant prices are quite high for the average Georgian. Do you think that they are fair? A. Yes, they really are the minimum. Our restaurants aren’t known as the most expensive ones in Tbilisi any more though. Kalakuri had such a reputation for a long time and as a result people were reluctant to visit the restaurant. But now this has changed. The restaurant is oriented at middle and high social classes. And I can confidently say that the prices aren’t high for people with mid level incomes. They are actually very competitive in their segment of the market. Gigi Ugulava has announced that farms will soon start operating in Georgia. That will positively influence our prices. We will therefore be able to buy meat directly from the farmer with significantly lower prices and this will cause a decrease of our prices as well. Q. Do you plan to expand your network around Georgia or even abroad? A. We will probably finish expanding the chain in Tbilisi by having 15 restaurants in 2012. After this, we’ll expand the network throughout the regions. We’ll start in Achara and Svaneti. But we may already be present in Gudauri as soon as this winter. We have had some offers from Azerbaijan and Armenia.

But GMC Group is abstaining from expanding the network abroad yet. We want to become the strongest players in the Georgia market and only after that will we start negotiations abroad. This isn’t planned exactly for the beginning of 2012, but I can’t say for sure what will happen by the end of next year. The owner of GMC Group has a Georgian restaurant in Moscow but we aren’t managing that one. The restaurant offers Georgian national cuisine. The idea of founding Shemoikhede Genatsvale was developed as a result of the huge success of the restaurant in Moscow. Q. How much are you oriented at tourists? How often do foreigners visit your restaurants? A. Of course we cater to tourists. The market trends have resulted in that. There is demand for a format which is convenient for tourists. Therefore we have created a special service for tourists at Dzveli Sakhli. Fusion is the preferable serving style in Europe unlike in Georgia. So we offer traditional Georgian meals in individual portions as is acceptable in Europe and which foreigners are used to. Everything is Georgian, just the style of serving is foreign. This service is very popular. There are often tourists at Dzveli Sakhli. The vast majority of them are Ukrainians, Russians, Poles, Azerbaijanis and Armenians. People from Western Europe or America who have come to Georgia for official visits come to our restaurants in delegations as well. It’s an interesting fact that tourists spend more than local people. As the number of tourists is increasing, we try to have more servers who know English. This remains a problem still, but we have some English speaking waiters/waitresses at all our restaurants. Q. You have said that tourists are spending more. How much does the average client spend in your restaurants? A. The average expenditure of our clients per sitting is 12-15 GEL for Shemoikhede Genatsvale; 35 GEL for premium class restaurants. Q. How many meals do you offer in total in the GMC network? Which one is the most popular with tourists? A. In total the number of different meals available throughout our network is about 300. We offer about 70 meals at Dzveli Sakhli, 80 at Slavianka, and 100 at Kalakhuri. Individual meals are very much in demand at Dzveli Sakhli. Kababi with cheese is the most popular dish with tourists. Apart from that, foreigners often order Khinkali and Kachapuri as well. Q. Are you promoting Georgian wine in your restaurants? Do you offer European wine as well? A. We offer French and Spanish wines at Kalakuri, but demand is very low. Georgians tend to drink Georgian wine and foreigners want to taste local wines as well. Our main partners are Telavis Marani, Teliani Vino, Tbilvino and Shato Mukhrani. Their wines are sold throughout our network. Continued on p. 25

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FINANCIAL

DECEMBER 5, 2011 | FINCHANNEL.COM

Advertiser: Anaklia. Contact FINANCIAL Ad Dep at marketing@finchannel.com

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Hotel Anaklia Open to Tourists

All Year Round

By MARIAM PAPIDZE The FINANCIAL “8 million GEL was spent on the Hotel Anaklia complex in Western Georgia; the best holiday destination for all seasons,” Ioseb Todua, General Director of Anaklia Hotel, told The FINANCIAL. “Our hotel was the first, successful step in the development process of the Samegrelo seaside resort. It gave the green light to other investors and private companies to enter Anaklia,” Todua said. Recently opened Hotel Anaklia is a modern hotel complex on the Black Sea coast for personal and corporate visits, the holding of events, conferences and trainings. It is located 34 km from the town of Zugdidi. “The Hotel Anaklia project was implemented with Georgian investment. We took the first steps in tourism infrastructure development in the Samegrelo region. This investment project is really very important for the region. Our hotel is the first such hotel in Anaklia. It is the most modern hotel complex in the Samegrelo region. We began construction in 2009 and opened the hotel on 7 August, 2010.” Q. Why did you decide to open a hotel in Anaklia? What are the advantages of the location? A. We decided to build a hotel after Anaklia was announced to be a free travel zone. Investors were presented the land, the hotel project and open communication with the Government. It was very attractive to invest in Anaklia because of all these conditions. The advantage of Anaklia is that other large-

Ioseb Todua, General Director of Anaklia Hotel

scale complexes are planned to be built there. So this place will be totally different from other seaside resorts in Georgia. Anaklia will be developed as a modern, world class resort very soon. It is notable that Anaklia is particularly famed for its mild climate. The president said that it is not raining in Anaklia at all and here is a special climate. Anaklia is a sandy shore resort, with recreational sands. The most important thing is that there are no insects in Anaklia at all. Q. What will the hotel complex include? A. In five-storey building of Anaklia hotel there is located 42 comfortable rooms. There are 38 standard rooms and three suites in the hotel. All the rooms have a beautiful balcony, with a delightful view over the beach. Q. What facilities and services does the hotel offer customers? A. The hotel provides a conference service. Also, it can provide excellent conditions for sports and leisure activities for every season of the year: an open swimming pool, fitness room, billiards table, games such as Backgammon

and Chess; a tours and excursions service. Riding bikes along the seashore has become a favourite pastime of our guests. They also like to play board games when they have time. A Yacht club was also opened in Anaklia this year. As for new facilities, it is located a new decorated tent for celebrations on the hotel’s grounds. This tent recently hosted lots of beautiful and ceremonial corporate events. Having a wedding ceremony on the seashore is extremely romantic, beautiful and impressive. Such ceremonies are very popular in Europe. This tendency is gradually starting to increase in Georgia as well, as many Georgian newlyweds are coming from different parts of Samegrelo for capturing the happiest moments. Q. What kind of menu is on offer in the hotel’s restaurant? A. Our guests have the possibility to taste Georgian and foreign dishes in the hotel’s restaurant. But we prefer to offer them Megrelian cuisine because of the hotel’s location. Q. The hotel has a Mavritan architectural style. Why did you choose this style? A. Out of all of the country’s seaside resorts Hotel Anaklia stands out for its Mavritan architectural style. The hotel boasts impressive-looking arches and wooden shutters. The same style is used inside the hotel as well. Our hotel is exceptional and impressive among seaside resorts in Georgia. The beach is decorated with palm trees. A boulevard designed by Spanish architects is becoming more and more beautiful every day. Football

and basketball pitches have already been built. Spending the holidays in Anaklia will become more comfortable and prestigious in the coming years. Q. The hotel has been serving guests for almost a year. During this period how many guests did you serve in total? A. We had quite lots of guests this year. We had both Georgian and foreign guests. Tourists from Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan make up the majority of our guests here. They were coming to spend the holidays in Hotel Anaklia, to hold events, trainings and business meetings. During the summer the hotel was completely full of guests. Hotel Anaklia is a luxury hotel, but it is affordable to

Hotel Anaklia is a luxury hotel, but it is affordable to average income guests average income guests. During the summer period we have many vacationing families. Children under ten stay for free. This period is attractive for those who want to rest and spend their holidays on the beach. But during the autumn and winter we cooperate with Georgian and foreign companies. So the hotel

works throughout the year. We offer our corporate clients the opportunity to plan conferences, seminars and events in the hotel’s fullyequipped conference hall. We offer them the chance to visit us and enjoy the combination of work, rest and fun in our hotel. Q. Can Hotel Anaklia compete with the Radisson and Sheraton hotels in Batumi, or can Anaklia as a seaside resort compete with Batumi at all? A. So far, Anaklia and Batumi complement each other and are not competitors in any way. Both of them will be one tourism product on the Black Sea. It will take years for Anaklia to be fully developed as a resort brand. I believe that Anaklia will hold an important place among other resorts in Georgia. Q. What about your staff and the conditions you offer them? Where did you find experienced staff? A. About 50 locals are employed at Hotel Anaklia. It was a very difficult process to find sufficiently qualified staff. Locals and people from Zugdidi are mainly involved in applying for our vacancies. The number of applicants for employment in the Hotel is increasing every day. Q. Who are the architects of Hotel Anaklia? A. Hotel Anaklia project belongs to Georgian designers: Givi Jakheli, the Director of LTD Kera 2009, Chief architect Nika Sebiskveradze, architects Elikashvili and Zautishvili. This company and architects won the tender. Their project was approved by Spanish architects. Q. What about the prices you offer the clients?

A. Because of admission prices the hotel works at fully capacity during the whole year. Q. as your slogan says Anaklia is the best place for all season. Apart from summer what do you offer on different seasons to your guests? A. Hotel Anaklia offers its guests the best opportunities for organizing corporate events, trainings and individual recreation for all season; to spend a free time with their friends and family members at our hotel. There is a peaceful and pleasing environment at our hotel. Modern and comfortable rooms are important condition for the leisure and business trip. With cozy atmosphere we offer delicious Cuisine, high standard service and high qualified and attentive personal service. Q. Keti Bochorishvili, Director of the Georgian National Investment Agency, announced that Indian businessmen are interested in investing in Anaklia. Companies from Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and Turkey are all interested in opening hotels in Anaklia. In your opinion, how successfully will Hotel Anaklia compete with so many international companies? A. I welcome this fact. Competition will increase tourist flow to the area and will support hotel business development and also the development of our hotel. The service in the area will be improved, the types of hotel products will be expanded and that will expand the types of hotel products as well. This will all be to the benefit of the client.

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DECEMBER 5, 2011 | FINCHANNEL.COM

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where to go DECEMBER 5, 2011

Clubs, Pubs…

Tel: 2 999 662

FLY TO DUBAI FROM 270 USD (TAX INCLUDED ) CALL FOR DETAILED INFORMATION: BUSINESSTRAVELCOM TEL: 2999 662 E-MAIL: AIRTICKETS@SKY.GE; SKY@SKY.GE; WWW.SKY.GE MOB:592075353

21:00 - Band “Wheels”, DJ Datuna SkyyBar 22 Metekhi Str. Mob: 592 32-32-32 22:00-02:00 - DJ Club “Two Side” 7 Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 19:00 - Show-program and many surprises. Singers: Giorgi Tsereteli, Boris Bedia, Giorgi Tsiklauri, Mzeona Makharadze Restaurant “Bermukha” Agmashenebeli lane 13th km. Tel: 259 69 69; Mob: 598 59 69 69 20:00-23:00 - Georgian songs with live performance Restaurant “Dzveli Sakhli” 3, Sanapiro Str. Tel: 2 365-365 21:00-24:00 - Band “Pub” Bar “Fahrenheit” 5 Vashlovani Str. Tel: 299-67-72 20:30 - Maidan Jazz Band Restaurant “Maidan” 6, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 275-11-88; 590 75-11-88 21:00 - Rezo Kiknadze - saxophonist Café “Kala” 8/10 Erekle II Str. Mob: 599 79-97-37 20:00-23:30 - Georgian Folk and Pop Songs (Live Performance) Restaurant “Shadow of Metekhi” 29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - Trio - Georgian Songs Live Performance Restaurant “Maspindzelo” at Bambis Rigi 7, Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 21:00-24:00 - Band “Goblins” (Covers) Pub “Dublin” 8 Akhvlediani Str, Tel: 298-44-67 20:00-23:00 - Classical Music - Piano and Violin Restaurant “Maspindzelo” in Abanotubani 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30

Cinema Rustaveli Cinema 5 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 293-22-53, 2 555-000 “Ispahan-Batumi”; “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”; “Love Story”; “Immortals” 3D; “Puss in Boots” 3D; “Johnny English Reborn” (Ticket Price - 7 - 14 GEL) “Amirani” Cinema 36 Kostava Str. Tel: 299-99-55 “Ispahan-Batumi”; “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”; “Love Story” (Ticket Price - 8 - 14 GEL) “Sakartvelo” Cinema 2/9, Guramishvili Ave. Tel: 230-80-80; 269-66-47 “Ispahan-Batumi”; “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”; “Love Story”; “Puss in Boots” 3D (Ticket Price - 7 - 10 GEL)

ECEMBER 7, 2011

Clubs, Pubs… 21:00 - Band “Wheels”, DJ Datuna SkyyBar 22 Metekhi Str. Mob: 592 32-32-32 22:00 - David Masteranov Live Band 24:00 - DJ Club “Two Side” 7 Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - “Kalakuri’s Quartet” - with live performance of city songs, and also universal songs Restaurant “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 19:00 - Show-program and many surprises. Singers: Giorgi Tsereteli, Boris Bedia, Giorgi Tsiklauri, Mzeona Makharadze Restaurant “Bermukha” Agmashenebeli lane 13th km. Tel: 259 69 69; Mob: 598 59 69 69 20:00-23:00 - Georgian Dances Restaurant “Dzveli Sakhli” 3, Sanapiro Str. Tel: 2 365-365 21:00-24:00 - Band “Band’a’roll” Bar “Fahrenheit” 5 Vashlovani Str. Tel: 299-67-72 22:00-01:00 - Group “Comic Condition” Tavern “Scarlet Sails” 25, Leselidze Str. Tel: 293-10-28 20:30 - Maidan Jazz Band Restaurant “Maidan” 6, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 275-11-88; 590 75-11-88 21:00 - Live Band Café “Kala” 8/10 Erekle II Str. Mob: 599 79-97-37 20:00-23:30 - Georgian Folk and Pop Songs, Traditional Georgian Dances (Live Performance) Restaurant “Shadow of Metekhi” 29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tel: 230-30-30 20:30-23:30 - Georgian Songs (Live Performance) Restaurant “Puris Sakhli” 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - Trio - Georgian Songs Live Performance Restaurant “Maspindzelo” at Bambis Rigi 7, Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 21:00-24:00 - Band “Zarebi” (Covers) Pub “Dublin” 8 Akhvlediani Str, Tel: 298-44-67 20:00-23:00 - Classical Music - Piano and Violin Restaurant “Maspindzelo” in Abanotubani 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30

Gallery

From

Tbilisi

Day

Depart

Arrive

Flight#

3.7

00:40

03:20

DV 842

Amsterdam

1.3.6

05:10

07:45

A9 651

Almaty

1,4,6

08:45

14:20

KC E90

Aktau

Athens

07:00

08:55

A9 693

Baku

DAILY

00:50;11:30

03:10;13:50

J2 224/226

Batumi

DAILY

07:30;09:30

08:10;10:15

CRJ

Dubai

3.5

19:40

22:40

A9 703

Dubai

2.6

03:55

07:20

FZ 714

Donetsk

05:15

06:00

VV/713

Frankfurt

09:35;

11:55

A9 621

Istanbul

DAILY

04:05;17:15

05:35 18:45

TK 1387/1383

Istanbul

DAILY

04:45

05:35

PC/738

Kiev

DAILY

07:50;17:55

09:25;19:35

VV 418

Kiev

DAILY

05:50

07:20

PS 728

Kharkov

2,5

16:30

17:20

A9 CRJ

London

BD 966

1.4.6.7

06:55; 08:50

12:05; 14:00

Minsk

5.7

17:30;08:30

19:20;10:10

A9 671

Minsk

DAILY

04:30

05:35

B2 1736

Munich

DAILY

04:00

05:55

LH 3215

Paris

2.5

07:00

10:00

A9 627

Prague

DAILY

04:20

06:10

OK 935

Riga

1.3.6

03:40

06:00

BT 723

Tel-Aviv

X5,7

16:50;21:00

18:45;22:45

A9 695

Vienna

4,7

08:30

10:00

A9 681

Urumqi

2,4,6

22:40

07:30+1

CZ 752

Warsaw

3,4,5,7

0440

0620

E75

Days=( 1-Monday., 2-Tuesday., 3-Wedsday., 4-Thursday., 5-Friday., 6-Saturday., 7-Sunday. D-Daily; X-except off)

Special price from BusinessTravelCom CALL FOR DETAILED INFORMATION: BusinessTravelCom TEL: 2 999 662 E-mail: airtickets@sky.ge; sky@sky.ge; www.sky.ge SKYPE: elkaaa208

Fly to Europe from 150 EUR ROME RIGA BARCELONA MILAN BUDAPEST BRUSSELS AMSTERDAM PARIS STOCKHOLM DUSSELDORF FLORENCE BOLOGNA FRANKFURT COPENHAGEN STRASBOURG ZURICH HAMBURG HANNOVER

CALL FOR DETAILED INFORMATION: BusinessTravelCom TEL: 999 662 E-mail: airtickets@sky.ge ; sky@sky.ge; www.sky.ge Mob:592075353 FREE DELIVERY SERVICE!

Georgian Quilt Group exhibition. Will be presented works of Ira Lavrinenko, Tata Bakradze, Nata Burjanadze, Maia Rukhadze, Nino Chageishvili (museum is open everyday except Monday 11:00-17:00) Tinatin Tumanishvili Tbilisi Doll Museum 17a, Shavteli Str. Tel: 299-53-37, 299-65-11 “What will people say?” - Exhibition of photos by Iustina Melnikevich Europe House 1, Freedom Square, Tel: 247-03-11 Exhibition “Three Friends”. On exhibition will be presented art works by tree artists - Otar Vepkhvadze (ceramics), Ivars Bumbieres (painting) and Peteris Martinson (ceramics) - (Museum is working everyday except Monday. From 10:00 till 18:00) Simon Janashia State Museum 3, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 299-80-22 Tamuna Chikovani’s personal exhibition “My Workshop - 2” New Gallery 26, Besiki Str. Tel: 292-26-99 Conceptual exhibition of Maria Saphronova - “Flight Time” - (Everyday 12:00-20:00) “Tiflis Avenue” Gallery 8/10, Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-20-14, 577 50-64-50 Gallery “Vernissage” is pleased to invite you to the personal exhibition of the Chechen artist - Asya Umarova. Graphic - (Everyday 12:00-19:00) Gallery “Vernissage” 7, Brothers Zubalashvili Str. Tel: 299-88-08 Muslim Meskhs - Photo-exhibition by Temo Bardzimashvili Literature Museum 8 Giorgi Tchanturia Str. Tel: 598 16-70-48 12:00-22:00 - Mixed Exhibition of Georgian Artists (paintings, graphics, porcelain, enamel, woodcraft...) Gallery “Cameo” 11, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 272-48-72; Mob: 593 31-92-66 12:00-19:00 - Cloisonne Art Exhibition Enamel Gallery “Ornament” 7 Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-90-13 10:00-18:00 - Modern Fine and Applied Art Exhibition “Manana Art Saloon” 12, Baratashvili Str. Tel: 293-25-90

DECEMBER 6, 2011

Clubs, Pubs… 21:00 - Band “Wheels”, DJ Datuna SkyyBar 22 Metekhi Str. Mob: 592 32-32-32 22:00-02:00 - DJ Club “Two Side” 7 Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - “Kalakuri’s Quartet” - with live performance of city songs, and also universal songs Restaurant “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 19:00 - Show-program and many surprises. Singers: Giorgi Tsereteli, Boris Bedia, Giorgi Tsiklauri, Mzeona Makharadze Restaurant “Bermukha” Agmashenebeli lane 13th km. Tel: 259 69 69; Mob: 598 59 69 69 20:00-23:00 - Georgian songs with live performance Restaurant “Dzveli Sakhli” 3, Sanapiro Str. Tel: 2 365-365 21:00-24:00 - “Cloud Blues Band” Bar “Fahrenheit” 5 Vashlovani Str. Tel: 299-67-72 20:30 - Georgian folk ensemble “Urmuli”, georgian dances Restaurant “Maidan” 6, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 275-11-88; 590 75-11-88 21:00-24:00 - Jazz Band Restaurant “Chardin 12” 12 Chardin Str. Tel: 293-15-56; Mob: 577 480-460 21:00 - Maia Kankava Café “Kala” 8/10 Erekle II Str. Mob: 599 79-97-37 20:00-23:30 - Georgian Folk and Pop Songs, Traditional Georgian Dances (Live Performance) Restaurant “Shadow of Metekhi” 29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tel: 230-30-30 20:30-23:30 - Georgian Songs (Live Performance) Restaurant “Puris Sakhli” 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - Trio - Georgian Songs Live Performance Restaurant “Maspindzelo” at Bambis Rigi 7, Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 21:00-24:00 - Band “Goblins” (Covers) Pub “Dublin” 8 Akhvlediani Str, Tel: 298-44-67 20:00-23:00 - Classical Music - Piano and Violin Restaurant “Maspindzelo” in Abanotubani 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30

Theatre 19:00 - “Yellow Moon” Premiere (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Rustaveli Theatre (Experimental Stage) 17, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 272-68-68 20:00 - “Church Riot…” Premiere (Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili State Drama Theatre) (Ticket Price - 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 GEL) Rustaveli Theatre (Grand Stage) 17, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 272-68-68 20:00 - “Women” (Ticket Price - 4 - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 20:00 - “Extravaganza” (Finger Theatre) (Ticket Price - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre (Theatre in Attic) 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 19:00 - “Jeans Generation” (Ticket Price - 5, 10, 12 GEL) Liberty Theatre 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 298-58-21 30 year anniversary of Sandro Akhmeteli Dramatic Theatre 19:00 - “The Marriage of Figaro” (National Drama Theatre of Macedonia “Scopya”) (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Akhmeteli Theatre 8 Vekua Str. Tel: 262-54-37, 262-59-73, 262-61-97 15:30, 16:30 - “The Saint Night” (puppet show) (Ticket Price - 4 GEL) Tinatin Tumanishvili Tbilisi Doll Museum 17a, Shavteli Str. Tel: 299-53-37, 299-65-11

Peradze invite you to the exhibition “Christmas Varieties” Gallery “Vanda” 14, Chonkadze Str. (Sololaki area). Tel: 293-42-86, 599 56-99-71 Photo Exhibition in the frames of L.A.F. Project in partnership with the Tbilisi International Film Festival and Gallery 9. Participating: Mariam Amurvelashvili, Temo Bardzimashvili, Leli Blagonravova, Gega Chumburidze, Elene Damenia, Nanka Dolidze, Anka Gujabidze, Heinrich Holtgreve, Marika Kochiashvili, Yuri Mechitov, Ana Nijaradze, Irina Popova, Tako Robakidze, Daro Sulakauri Gallery 9 9, Gudiashvili Str. Tel: 299-59-54, 858 24-25-96 Muslim Meskhs - Photo-exhibition by Temo Bardzimashvili Literature Museum 8 Giorgi Tchanturia Str. Tel: 598 16-70-48 12:00-22:00 - Mixed Exhibition of Georgian Artists (paintings, graphics, porcelain, enamel, woodcraft...) Gallery “Cameo” 11, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 272-48-72; Mob: 593 31-92-66 12:00-19:00 - Cloisonne Art Exhibition Enamel Gallery “Ornament” 7 Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-90-13 10:00-18:00 - Modern Fine and Applied Art Exhibition “Manana Art Saloon” 12, Baratashvili Str. Tel: 293-25-90

DECEMBER 8, 2011

Clubs, Pubs… 21:00 - Band “Band’a’roll”, DJ Datuna SkyyBar 22 Metekhi Str. Mob: 592 32-32-32 22:00 - Nodiko Tatishvili & Salome Bakuradze, Group “Comic Condition” Club “Two Side” 7 Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 22:00 - Resident DJ Tako Lounge Bar “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 19:00 - Show-program and many surprises. Singers: Giorgi Tsereteli, Boris Bedia, Giorgi Tsiklauri, Mzeona Makharadze Restaurant “Bermukha” Agmashenebeli lane 13th km. Tel: 259 69 69; Mob: 598 59 69 69 20:00-23:00 - “Kalakuri’s Quartet” - with live performance of city songs, and also universal songs Restaurant “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 22:00 - Maia Kvirkvelia & DJ Dachi Club “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 20:00-23:00 - Georgian songs with live performance Restaurant “Dzveli Sakhli” 3, Sanapiro Str. Tel: 2 365-365 21:00-24:00 - Megi & Co Bar “Fahrenheit” 5 Vashlovani Str. Tel: 299-67-72 20:30 - Georgian folk ensemble “Urmuli”, georgian dances Restaurant “Maidan” 6, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 275-11-88; 590 75-11-88 21:00-24:00 - Jazz Band Restaurant “Chardin 12” 12 Chardin Str. Tel: 293-15-56; Mob: 577 480-460 21:00 - Guliko Chanturia Café “Kala” 8/10 Erekle II Str. Mob: 599 79-97-37 20:00-23:30 - Georgian Folk and Pop Songs, Traditional Georgian Dances (Live Performance) Restaurant “Shadow of Metekhi” 29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tel: 230-30-30 20:30-23:30 - Georgian Songs (Live Performance) Restaurant “Puris Sakhli” 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - Trio - Georgian Songs Live Performance Restaurant “Maspindzelo” at Bambis Rigi 7, Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 21:00-24:00 - Band “Zarebi” (Covers) Pub “Dublin” 8 Akhvlediani Str, Tel: 298-44-67 20:00-23:00 - Classical Music - Piano and Violin Restaurant “Maspindzelo” in Abanotubani 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30

Theatre 19:00 - “Now do we look like refugees?” (Ticket Price - 6 GEL) Rustaveli Theatre (Experimental Stage) 17, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 272-68-68 20:00 - “Church Riot…” Premiere (Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili State Drama Theatre) (Ticket Price - 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 GEL) Rustaveli Theatre (Grand Stage) 17, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 272-68-68 20:00 - “Euhena Balboa” (Ticket Price - 4 - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 20:00 - “Private Lives” (Ticket Price - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre (Theatre in Attic) 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966

19:00 - “The Ghosts” Premiere (Ticket Price - 5, 7, 9 GEL) Liberty Theatre 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 298-58-21 19:00 - “Letters for God” (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) V. Abashidze State Music and Drama Theatre 182 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: 234-80-90 30 year anniversary of Sandro Akhmeteli Dramatic Theatre 19:00 - Akhmeteli Theatre - “Vazha” Premiere (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Akhmeteli Theatre 8 Vekua Str. Tel: 262-54-37, 262-59-73, 262-61-97

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”; “Love Story”; “Immortals” 3D; “Puss in Boots” 3D; “Johnny English Reborn” (Ticket Price - 7 - 14 GEL) “Amirani” Cinema 36 Kostava Str. Tel: 299-99-55 “Ispahan-Batumi”; “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”; “Love Story” (Ticket Price - 8 - 14 GEL) “Sakartvelo” Cinema 2/9, Guramishvili Ave. Tel: 230-80-80; 269-66-47 “Ispahan-Batumi”; “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”; “Love Story”; “Puss in Boots” 3D (Ticket Price - 7 - 10 GEL)

Gallery Georgian Quilt Group exhibition. Will be presented works of Ira Lavrinenko, Tata Bakradze, Nata Burjanadze, Maia Rukhadze, Nino Chageishvili (museum is open everyday except Monday 11:00-17:00) Tinatin Tumanishvili Tbilisi Doll Museum 17a, Shavteli Str. Tel: 299-53-37, 299-65-11 Exhibition “Three Friends”. On exhibition will be presented art works by tree artists - Otar Vepkhvadze (ceramics), Ivars Bumbieres (painting) and Peteris Martinson (ceramics) - (Museum is working everyday except Monday. From 10:00 till 18:00) Simon Janashia State Museum 3, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 299-80-22 Conceptual exhibition of Maria Saphronova - “Flight Time” - (Everyday 12:00-20:00) “Tiflis Avenue” Gallery 8/10, Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-20-14, 577 50-64-50 12:00-19:00 - The art gallery “Vanda” (“Hobby”) and Nino Peradze invite you to the exhibition “Christmas Varieties” Gallery “Vanda” 14, Chonkadze Str. (Sololaki area). Tel: 293-42-86, 599 56-99-71 Photo Exhibition in the frames of L.A.F. Project in partnership with the Tbilisi International Film Festival and Gallery 9. Participating: Mariam Amurvelashvili, Temo Bardzimashvili, Leli Blagonravova, Gega Chumburidze, Elene Damenia, Nanka Dolidze, Anka Gujabidze, Heinrich Holtgreve, Marika Kochiashvili, Yuri Mechitov, Ana Nijaradze, Irina Popova, Tako Robakidze, Daro Sulakauri Gallery 9 9, Gudiashvili Str. Tel: 299-59-54, 858 24-25-96 Muslim Meskhs - Photo-exhibition by Temo Bardzimashvili Literature Museum 8 Giorgi Tchanturia Str. Tel: 598 16-70-48 12:00-22:00 - Mixed Exhibition of Georgian Artists (paintings, graphics, porcelain, enamel, woodcraft...) Gallery “Cameo” 11, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 272-48-72; Mob: 593 31-92-66 12:00-19:00 - Cloisonne Art Exhibition Enamel Gallery “Ornament” 7 Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-90-13 10:00-18:00 - Modern Fine and Applied Art Exhibition “Manana Art Saloon” 12, Baratashvili Str. Tel: 293-25-90

DECEMBER 9, 2011

Clubs, Pubs… 21:00 - Agora Live Band, DJ Datuna SkyyBar 22 Metekhi Str. Mob: 592 32-32-32 22:00 - Giorgi Tsiklauri & Khatuna Jalaghonia with David Iluridze Live Band 24:00 - DJ Club “Two Side” 7 Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 22:00 - Resident DJ Tako Lounge Bar “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 19:00 - Show-program and many surprises. Singers: Giorgi Tsereteli, Boris Bedia, Giorgi Tsiklauri, Mzeona Makharadze Restaurant “Bermukha” Agmashenebeli lane 13th km. Tel: 259 69 69; Mob: 598 59 69 69 20:00-23:00 - “Kalakuri’s Quartet” - with live performance of city songs, and also universal songs Restaurant “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 22:00 - Gio Khutsishvili & DJ Dachi Club “Kalakuri” 3 Shavteli Str. Tel: 2 365-365 20:00-23:00 - Georgian Dances Restaurant “Dzveli Sakhli” 3, Sanapiro Str. Tel: 2 365-365 21:00-24:00 - Band “Pub” Bar “Fahrenheit” 5 Vashlovani Str. Tel: 299-67-72 22:00-01:00 - Group “Comic Condition” Tavern “Scarlet Sails” 25, Leselidze Str. Tel: 293-10-28 20:30 - Maidan Jazz Band Restaurant “Maidan” 6, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 275-11-88; 590 75-11-88 21:00-24:00 - Jazz Band Restaurant “Chardin 12” 12 Chardin Str. Tel: 293-15-56; Mob: 577 480-460 21:00 - Maia Baratashvili Café “Kala” 8/10 Erekle II Str. Mob: 599 79-97-37 20:00-23:30 - Georgian Folk and Pop Songs, Traditional Georgian Dances (Live Performance) Restaurant “Shadow of Metekhi” 29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tel: 230-30-30 20:30-23:30 - Georgian Songs (Live Performance) Restaurant “Puris Sakhli” 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30 20:00-23:00 - Live Folk Music performance by “EgAri” Restaurant “Maspindzelo” at Bambis Rigi 7, Bambis Rigi Str. Tel: 230-30-30 21:00-24:00 - Band “Zarebi” (Covers) Pub “Dublin” 8 Akhvlediani Str, Tel: 298-44-67 20:00-23:00 - Classical Music - Piano and Violin Restaurant “Maspindzelo” in Abanotubani 7 Gorgasali Str. Tel: 230-30-30

Cinema Rustaveli Cinema 5 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 293-22-53, 2 555-000 “Ispahan-Batumi”;

Concert 19:00 - Ensemble “Rustavi” (Ticket Price - 10, 20, 30 GEL) Tbilisi Concert Hall 1, Meliqishvilii Str. Tel: 299-05-99

Theatre 21:00 - “Oliver” (Ticket Price - 5, 7, 10, 12, 15 GEL) Rustaveli Theatre (Grand Stage) 17, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 272-68-68 20:00 - “Blind Visible” (Ticket Price - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre (Theatre in Attic) 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 20:00 - “Raspberries” (Ticket Price - 4 - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 19:00 - “Beautiful Georgian Woman” (Ticket Price - 5, 10, 15 GEL) Liberty Theatre 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 298-58-21 19:00 - “Waiting for Godot” (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre 164 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: 234-28-99 19:00 - “Letters for God” (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) V. Abashidze State Music and Drama Theatre 182 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: 234-80-90 19:00 - Concert-Play “Arika Da Varika” (Ticket Price - 5 GEL) Ilia University Theatre 32, I. Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: 229-47-15 30 year anniversary of Sandro Akhmeteli Dramatic Theatre 19:00 - Akhmeteli Theatre - “Vazha” Premiere (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Akhmeteli Theatre 8 Vekua Str. Tel: 262-54-37, 262-59-73, 262-61-97 19:15 - “Autumn of my Springtime” +12 (Ticket Price - 5, 10, 15 GEL) Gabriadze Theatre 13, Shavteli Str. Tel: 8 790 98-65-91 (MagtiFix), 298-65-90 19:00 - “Christ” (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Pantomime Theatre 37 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 299-63-14

Gallery Georgian Quilt Group exhibition. Will be presented works of Ira Lavrinenko, Tata Bakradze, Nata Burjanadze, Maia Rukhadze, Nino Chageishvili (museum is open everyday except Monday 11:00-17:00) Tinatin Tumanishvili Tbilisi Doll Museum 17a, Shavteli Str. Tel: 299-53-37, 299-65-11 Exhibition “Three Friends”. On exhibition will be presented art works by tree artists - Otar Vepkhvadze (ceramics), Ivars Bumbieres (painting) and Peteris Martinson (ceramics) - (Museum is working everyday except Monday. From 10:00 till 18:00) Simon Janashia State Museum 3, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 299-80-22 12:00-19:00 - The art gallery “Vanda” (“Hobby”) and Nino Peradze invite you to the exhibition “Christmas Varieties” Gallery “Vanda” 14, Chonkadze Str. (Sololaki area). Tel: 293-42-86, 599 56-99-71 Photo Exhibition in the frames of L.A.F. Project in partnership with the Tbilisi International Film Festival and Gallery 9. Participating: Mariam Amurvelashvili, Temo Bardzimashvili, Leli Blagonravova, Gega Chumburidze, Elene Damenia, Nanka Dolidze, Anka Gujabidze, Heinrich Holtgreve, Marika Kochiashvili, Yuri Mechitov, Ana Nijaradze, Irina Popova, Tako Robakidze, Daro Sulakauri Gallery 9 9, Gudiashvili Str. Tel: 299-59-54, 858 24-25-96 Muslim Meskhs - Photo-exhibition by Temo Bardzimashvili Literature Museum 8 Giorgi Tchanturia Str. Tel: 598 16-70-48 12:00-22:00 - Mixed Exhibition of Georgian Artists (paintings, graphics, porcelain, enamel, woodcraft...) Gallery “Cameo” 11, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 272-48-72; Mob: 593 31-92-66 12:00-19:00 - Cloisonne Art Exhibition Enamel Gallery “Ornament” 7 Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-90-13 10:00-18:00 - Modern Fine and Applied Art Exhibition “Manana Art Saloon” 12, Baratashvili Str. Tel: 293-25-90

For more information, please, visit the following website:

www.info-tbilisi.com E-mail: afisha@info-tbilisi.com

Theatre 19:00 - “Yellow Moon” Premiere (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Rustaveli Theatre (Experimental Stage) 17, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 272-68-68 20:00 - “The Marriage of Figaro” (National Drama Theatre of Macedonia “Scopya”) (Ticket Price - 4 - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 20:00 - “Premiere” (Sokhumi State Dramaturge Theatre) (Ticket Price - 11 GEL) Marjanishvili Theatre (Theatre in Attic) 8 Marjanishvili Str. Tel: 2 955-966 30 year anniversary of Sandro Akhmeteli Dramatic Theatre 19:00 - Tumanishvili Theatre “Spring Will Still Come” (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Akhmeteli Theatre 8 Vekua Str. Tel: 262-54-37, 262-59-73, 262-61-97 19:00 - “Saint George” (Ticket Price - 10 GEL) Pantomime Theatre 37 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 299-63-14

Gallery Georgian Quilt Group exhibition. Will be presented works of Ira Lavrinenko, Tata Bakradze, Nata Burjanadze, Maia Rukhadze, Nino Chageishvili (museum is open everyday except Monday 11:00-17:00) Tinatin Tumanishvili Tbilisi Doll Museum 17a, Shavteli Str. Tel: 299-53-37, 299-65-11 Exhibition “Three Friends”. On exhibition will be presented art works by tree artists - Otar Vepkhvadze (ceramics), Ivars Bumbieres (painting) and Peteris Martinson (ceramics) - (Museum is working everyday except Monday. From 10:00 till 18:00) Simon Janashia State Museum 3, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 299-80-22 Tamuna Chikovani’s personal exhibition “My Workshop - 2” New Gallery 26, Besiki Str. Tel: 292-26-99 Conceptual exhibition of Maria Saphronova - “Flight Time” - (Everyday 12:00-20:00) “Tiflis Avenue” Gallery 8/10, Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-20-14, 577 50-64-50 Photo Exhibition in the frames of L.A.F. Project in partnership with the Tbilisi International Film Festival and Gallery 9. Participating: Mariam Amurvelashvili, Temo Bardzimashvili, Leli Blagonravova, Gega Chumburidze, Elene Damenia, Nanka Dolidze, Anka Gujabidze, Heinrich Holtgreve, Marika Kochiashvili, Yuri Mechitov, Ana Nijaradze, Irina Popova, Tako Robakidze, Daro Sulakauri Gallery 9 9, Gudiashvili Str. Tel: 299-59-54, 858 24-25-96 Muslim Meskhs - Photo-exhibition by Temo Bardzimashvili Literature Museum 8 Giorgi Tchanturia Str. Tel: 598 16-70-48 12:00-22:00 - Mixed Exhibition of Georgian Artists (paintings, graphics, porcelain, enamel, woodcraft...) Gallery “Cameo” 11, Rkinis Rigi Str. Tel: 272-48-72; Mob: 593 31-92-66 12:00-19:00 - Cloisonne Art Exhibition Enamel Gallery “Ornament” 7 Erekle II Str. Tel: 298-90-13 10:00-18:00 - Modern Fine and Applied Art Exhibition “Manana Art Saloon” 12, Baratashvili Str. Tel: 293-25-90

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Wissol Opens Recreation and Service Complex on Stretch of Gori Highway

By TAKO KHELAIA The FINANCIAL Wissol has launched a recreation and service complex on a section of the Gori highway. President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and the Minister of Regional Development Ramaz Nikolaishvili attended the opening of the strategic complex. The Wissol recreation and service complex is multifunctional. Wissol branded CNG and petrol stations, a Wissol AutoExpress service centre offering French Total lubricants, “Smart” supermarket with a wide range of products, fast food restaurant “Smartcafe”, and a parking zone for trucks, buses and cars are all located at the complex. In addition Wissol decided to help traditional roadside sellers and created a corner for agricultural products giving local people the opportunity to sell their fruits and vegetables on the roadside in a comfortable environment. “Georgia is becoming more and more attractive to foreign tourists and transportation companies. Such complexes make their journeys through Georgia incomparably comfortable. Furthermore the Georgian population will also have the opportunity to access such necessary services while

travelling on the highway,” said Samson Pkhakadze, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Wissol Group. “It is also important for us that we have restored an old tradition and created a completely different and yet convenient space for local people to sell their agricultural products at the roadside. We have a small agricultural market at our complex where products are presented in keeping with all sanitary norms. We offer the newest products to customers, which are replaced with fresh ones every day. I am sure that our customers will be happy with the restoration of an old tradition yet with a much improved and smartened look,” Pkakadze said. Wissol Group invested several million GEL in opening the Gori complex. The architecture of the complex is that of the famous German architect Jürgen Mayer. Delta holding, daughter company of Wissol Group implemented the construction works. From the Georgian side, famous architects from the company Qobulia and Partners worked on the project. About 150 people were employed at the complex during its period of construction. “We are proud of the fact that a Georgian construction company has managed to

create such a well designed and high class architectural building which now presents its own opportunities. The building was constructed in a record period of time as it was built in just 14 days. Each member of our company worked very hard on implementing this project,” said Levan Kalmakhelidze, General Director of Delta Holding. President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili himself checked the services available at the opening ceremony of the complex. “Such places are a dream for those on the road. You can sit, like in the best places in Sweden or America, but even in America there are no places quite like this. You can sit with your laptop, receive information, work, rest and then continue on your journey. We could not have imagined such a place even just two or three years ago. Georgia is moving forward very rapidly in becoming a civilized country. We still have economic problems, low incomes, but we are developing,” Saakashvili said. At the moment about 100 people are employed at the complex inlcuding refugees who were internally displaced after the Georgian-Russian conflict in 2008. Each of the employees was specially trained at the Wissol Group academy.

GMC Group Opening New Restaurant Slavianka Continued from p. 19

Q. How many customers does the whole network serve in a year? A. Annually we serve about 257 600 people. 26 400 out of the whole amount visited to Kalakuri, 24 400 - to Dzveli Sakhli, 10 800 - to pub Dzveli Sakhli, 196 000 –to the three restaurants of Shemoikhede Genatsvale. Q. Do GMC restaurants have any international certificates? A. We don’t yet have any certificates, but GMC restaurants already meet international standards. As we are selling our franchise, we have created a document about our standards and the two restaurants using our name have to meet them. They are very close to international ones. We are currently preparing to get an ISO certificate. Hopefully some of our restaurants will have it soon. Q. A list of top world restaurants is created annually. This year a Swedish restaurant holds first place. Last year it was a Spanish one. Do your restaurants participate in the creation of such ratings? A. we have never taken part in such ratings. The offer has to come from the organizers. We’ve never received one. If we were to be invited, we would participate in such a rating. But our production director is the winner of many international culinary competitions. We offer three special meals created by our production director, which are the winners of competitions. Q. How popular is Georgian cuisine as a brand internationally? What

are the state and private sectors doing in regards to this? A. Georgian cuisine as a brand is less famous. But it really deserves high levels of awareness. The state is doing a great deal to achieve this. Tourism is one main sector that the Government is oriented at. Increasing the popularity of Georgian cuisine is involved in the project of tourism development. Georgian Days are often arranged abroad. Last time we were in Warsaw and we were managing two Polish restaurants as Georgians for a few days. They were a complete success. People came to us following the event and asked us to open a Georgian restaurant there. Such days are essential for increasing awareness. Advertisements or flyers alone can’t attract people. The meals have to actually be tasted. Otherwise people won’t feel strongly about them at all. Implementing such activities by the private sector is quite difficult and hardly affordable. Q. What would you name the main challenges of the restaurant sector to be in Georgia? A. Finding good staff is the main problem and challenge for restaurants. There are too few good professional cooks. Almost all Georgian women are good cooks at home but they aren’t professional cooks for restaurants. There is only one culinary college Ikaros, which has courses for cooks. Being a cook must become as prestigious a profession in Georgia as it is abroad. Beginner cooks have to have the ambition to become professional chefs and later found their own restaurants. This is the way cooks

develop abroad. People have to believe that they can become rich if they study cookery. Finding waiters/waitresses is difficult as well. We have to employ people who don’t know how to serve and then teach them. The problem with finding good servers however isn’t as hard as it used to be about five years ago. The mentality of Georgian people has changed and working as a waiter/waitress isn’t shameful for them anymore. I’m very proud of some my employees who are students and are working to fund their studies themselves. The restaurant business is a sector which depends on people’s wants and not needs. That’s why too many factors have an effect on the way they run. First of all the political and economic situation within the country, then weather, people’s moods, and periods of religious fasting all play a significant role on a restaurant’s income. We have to be ready for everything. I have to constantly be ready for periods of snowy weather and fasting. All these things influence how we work. Another problem is having too many restaurants and cafes that do not meet adequate standards of hygiene. Permanent monitoring of quality by other organization is mandatory. As I know soon random inspections of all eating places several times per year will be mandatory by law. That will result in the closure of many restaurants and thereafter competition will be healthier. Another of our problems is the high taxes we have to pay. It would be good if the Government cut some taxes. But still, overall the main problem remains problems finding good staff.

Giant Gingerbread House Decoration for Charity The FINANCIAL

lready for the second year the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel is hosting a magical, exciting and fun charity event – “Bake, Make, Decorate”. As Christmas is approaching the hotel is offering the opportunity to take part in this worthwhile cause, after the success of last year. Guests are able to decorate Giant Gingerbread House in the Hotel’s lobby from Saturday December 10th to Sunday December 11th. Any willing person is invited to visit the hotel and contribute a donation for this good cause. Children who took part in last year’s gingerbread house decoration had lots of fun and gave plenty of good reviews, they drew smiley faces, hearts, wrote their names and other shaped drawings with colorful, tasty sweets on the gingerbread house. Most of them said they would come back next year and bring their friends and families with them. The Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel decided to hold the same action and broaden the activity to gather more donations for the many needy people art Christmas and New Year. It is a great intention and the perfect opportunity for kids

to realize that they can make a real difference in the community and help other people in different ways. The only thing they had to do to participate was to donate new, unwrapped toys to U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program or donate any sum possible to UNICEF. Toys have been distributed as Christmas gifts to needy children in different orphanage houses throughout Georgia. This year we will follow the same format as last year. On Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th, everyone is welcome to join in the fun and games at Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel. Bring a new toy with you and put it in Toys for Tots box in the lobby, to let orphans have happier Christmas or donate money for Red Cross Georgia

or the Childhood Foundation. Moreover, starting from Monday the 12th up to Friday the 16th, in response to Radisson Blu Iveria’s request, different schools will participate in the gingerbread house decoration. Donations received during this week will be for International Humanity Union “Catharsis”, which is a social aid center and charity house. One of many functions of Catharsis is to provide free food for homeless and poor persons. This time children from different schools will bring food instead of toys and will donate them to Catharsis and at the same time have fun and enjoy participating in decorating the gingerbread house. Everybody is invited to donate money to this very worthy cause.

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23, Akhvlediani Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2982598

SANTA FE

20, Akhvlediani Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2935848

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27, Abashidze Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2225066

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Hangar Bar

VERA STEAKHOUSE

SEGAFREDO ZANETTI ESPRESSO

TSISKVILI

# 71 Vazha-phavela Ave.

37, Kostava Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2983767

26, Chavchavadze Ave Tel: (+995 32) 2223677

PREGO

DUBLIN IRISH PUB

BUFFALO BILL

SIANG-GAN

8, Kiacheli Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2996553

Red Café - Bistro & Cafe Tel: 2201 211 info@redcafe.ge

2, Vazha pshavela Ave. Tel: 373610 7, Paliashvili Str. Tel: 225 22 58 25, Tarkhnishvili Str. Tel: 225 25 16

DISCOVERY

40, Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 2294230

13 Taktakishvili Str. Tel: 591198398 20 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 591193968 19 Petriashvili Str; 7 Pekini Str. 78 Bagebi Str

8, Akhvlediani Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2984467

Belle Ville

4, Vashlovani Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2989086

16, Akhvlediani Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2936052

# 20 Shavteli Str. Tel: (+995 32) 293 10 80

Beliashvili Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2530797

41, Gamsakhurdia Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2379688

Better seen than heard

ENGLISH TEE HOUSE

26, l.Kiacheli Str. Tel: (+995 32) 293 65 53

French - European bar-restaurant Pleasant and cozy atmosphere High quality service, live music every day

2 24/

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Entree

dining

DONUTS

10/12, Abashidze Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2253985

5, Marjanishvili Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2941620 32, Paliashvili Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2221109

4 Freedom Square, Tel: 254 70 30 E-mail: tbilisi.fs@citadines.com

Prospero’s Books

34, Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 2923 592

www.citadines.com

LITERATURULI CAFÉ 64, Paliashvili Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2250669

2, Tarkhnishvili Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2444546 31, Pekini Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2313057 22, Abashidze Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2220276 36, Kostava Str. Tel: (+995 32) 2990746

43 Abashidze Str. Tel: 222 60 18

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Socially Responsible Companies

December

The FINANCIAL Special Edition focused on CSR Supported by UN Global Compact Initiantive in Georgia Phone: (995 32) 2252 275, Ext: 1 Direct call: (995 577) 74 17 00 ( PDLO PDUNHWLQJ#他 QFKDQQHO FRP

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