Nata Kvachantiradze took her first steps in the tourism sector more than 25 years ago when she founded a tourist company called Harmony. Today, she leads the Georgian Tourism Association or GTA – an organisation of private tourism companies, hotels, wine companies, transport firms, airlines, and VET colleges in Georgia. Together, they are dedicated to fostering and advancing the development of tourism in their country.
In recent years, Georgia has increasingly captivated tourists from around the globe. A report from the National Tourism Administration reveals that in 2023, Georgia earned a record US$4.1 billion from international tourism.
But despite this success, many tourism companies in Georgia still lack the experience needed to fully capitalise on this burgeoning market.
“In rural areas of Georgia lots of people own guesthouses, (and they are) often run by women,” Kvachantiradze says. “However, they sometimes lack essential skills like digital marketing to effectively promote their accommodation. Such digital skills are crucial for development and success in today's world.”
Because of this, there is a significant opportunity for industry growth through training and development initiatives aimed at enhancing the skills and capabilities of local tourism businesses. And that’s where the EU4Business: Connecting Companies (EU4BCC) project, implemented by Eurochambres, comes in.
With the project’s support over the past few years, GTA representatives have actively engaged in various study trips. Last year, they visited Madrid in Spain to meet with the Chamber of Commerce of Spain and exchanged insights with local Business Support Organizations (BSOs) on various components of tourism development.
They also travelled to Hungary to learn about the development of wine tourism in the country’s Pecs region. And in 2024, GTA representatives visited Tallinn in Estonia to attend Latitude 59 – a flagship startup and tech event.
“The key point is that after each study visit or trip, I shared my insights with the members of the GTA,” says Kvachantiradze. “These insights came not only from companies within the tourism industry but also from other sectoral associations. We all possess diverse experiences in organisational development, member relations, advocacy, and service development. So it’s crucial for organisations to extend their collaboration beyond national borders.”
“The success of the GTA is based on the exchange of experience at the international level. That’s why every trip or every meeting held as part of the EU4BCC’s activities is so important for us.”
After each trip, Kvachantiradze and her colleagues at the GTA devise ways to leverage their experiences to create new services and products that benefit the association's members. Last year, they established a digital transformation committee at the GTA, and developed a training programme to boost its members’ digital skills.
From 18 to 22 March this year, the EU4BCC project hosted its Open-Door Mobility for BSOs event in Brussels. This study visit included 28 participants from the Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – including representatives from the GTA. Networking events, including a conference on EU enlargement and visits to Brussels-based BSOs, provided insights and fostered future collaborations.
A major highlight of the visit was an all-day policy training session, organized by Eurochambres' policy team in collaboration with representatives from DG Near and delegates from the Czech Republic and Spain. It provided in-depth insights into the priorities of EU policy, with a special focus on the EU Single Market, economic issues, and the EU Green Deal. The visit also aimed to enhance advocacy skills and understanding of EU decision-making processes.
As a membership organisation, advocacy has always been central for the GTA. Drawing on its representative’s experiences from study trips through the EU4BCC project, the GTA has actively contributed to shaping a new Tourism Law to improve the effectiveness of existing and planned regulations for organized tourist activities in Georgia.
“I’m looking forward to implementing the valuable insights gained from this project as Georgia progresses in its integration towards the EU,” says Kvachantiradze.
