10
BUSINESS
GEORGIA TODAY
AUGUST 9 - 11, 2016
PM Praises Anaklia ahead of GEM Fest
The PM oversees preparatory work for the GEM Fest 2016
BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE
D
uring his visit to Anaklia ahead of electronic music festival ‘GEM Fest,’ the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, visited the newly opened family guesthouse ‘White House.’ As the owner, Merab Chkholaria, explained, the idea of starting a hotel business was directly related to how popular the GEM Fest proved to be last year. This year, the festival is expected to be attended by approximately 40,000 people. Chkholaria said he hoped that the festival will be extended even further in future, thus giving the local population a steadier income. The Prime Minister also visited the festival site, making sure all preparatory works were going smoothly and without delay. He expressed hope that the festival will contribute towards promoting the country’s image abroad and impact the flow of investments, development of infrastructure and economy, as well as increasing employment opportunities for the local population. “The infrastructure is almost fully ready. Keeping such momentum, this place is sure to develop further and will attract more and more guests. I think the GEM Fest has the potential to become a vital engine for regional development. An extension is planned with the aim of making it a magnet location for fun-loving youth,” the PM said.
“Top quality equipment has been installed and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Giorgi Sigua and his team, who have been working 24/7 for months here, and would like to express my gratitude towards the volunteers, both Georgian and foreign. This festival is extremely important for the local population. The whole of Samegrelo is booked up, bringing locals much needed higher income.” Kvirikashvili further underlined the importance of the festival for local infrastructure, as quite a number of local guesthouses have been rehabilitated lately and constructions for several hotels are already scheduled. The Head of the Georgian government concluded by urging people to attend the festival. He complimented the line-up, and was particularly pleased to see a well-known Abkhazian DJ among the performers list, a fact he believed to be “symbolic”. The four-day GEM Fest kicks off on August 10. The festival prides itself on being one the biggest occasions for electronic music fans in the Caucasus region. The festival is a part of the ‘Check in Georgia’ project, which aims at popularizing Georgia and offering top level entertainment to audiences. The 20 million GEL project is almost fully funded by Cartu Fund. Since the summer of 2015, more than 30 family guesthouses have been rehabilitated in Anaklia and Ganmukhuri. One new hotel was built and the construction works for a number of 5 star hotel complexes has also begun.
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The PM checks out one of the many new Anaklia guesthouses hoping for a steady income following on from GEM Fest