Georgia to ask IMC Krems for professional higher education in tourism management

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A high-ranking delegation form the Republic of Georgia, including representatives and key officials both from the Prime Minister's office and various ministries as well as the National Tourism Administration paid a visit to IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems.

: f.l.t.r.: Michael Raffling, EU component leader EU twinning project, IMC CEO Heinz Boyer and project managers Berndt Tilp and Dominik Freinbichler with the Georgian delegation

The core interest of the delegation was in analyzing co-operation scenarios between the Black Sea country and IMC Krems. Here, further talks with institutions of higher Education as well as government representatives in Georgia are envisaged.

In the 1980s, Georgia was the tourist mecca for the rest of the Soviet Union. Tourist numbers hit a peak of 3.2m visitors in 1988. They came above all for the resorts of the Black Sea coast. In the 1990s, tourism collapsed, and the country fell apart in civil wars. Yet tourism from other parts of the former Soviet Union, such as Ukraine, the Baltic States and Azerbaijan, is recovering rapidly, reinforced by visitors from western Europe.

Tourism-inspired construction booms are under way. Batumi, Georgia's major tourism hub on the Black Sea coast saw 20 new hotels over the last years, including a Radisson, a Sheraton and a Hilton, nevertheless with the challenge of providing well-qualified workforce. Here, IMC University of Applied Sciences was asked to share its expertise and to bring forward solutions.

Author: Dr. Berndt Tilp