Zurab Pololikashvili: Government should Subsidize Tourism Industry for 1-2 years
The year 2020 will be difficult for not only Georgia but also the whole world, Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) told the Business Partner’s Four TV Program.
The global pandemic has generated many questions and uncertainties, Zurab Pololikashvili noted.
“70% of tourists travel by airplanes, while both international and domestic tourism industries stay stagnant for six months. For 1-2 years, countries will have to subsidize the tourism industry and their staffs for 1-2 years”, Pololikashvili pointed out.
The UNWTO secretary-general also referred to the Spanish experience and noted that the Spanish Government has allocated 4.2 billion USD subsidies for the national tourism industry promotion.
“On July 1, Italy and Spain will open their borders. I plan to pay my official visit to Italy and we will negotiate the Georgian interests too. Europe will prove and show the example of how to open the tourism industry”, Zurab Pololikashvili noted.