ARMENIANS FLOCK TO GEORGIAN COAST
By Eteri Turadze in Batumi
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Aug. 16, 2006
Georgia’s Black Sea tourist industry revived by Armenian holidaymakers.
"A bottle of Georgian wine please," ordered the customer at a seaside
cafe. "Wine? Sorry," said the waiter, " we’ve only got Armenian
cognac…."
This recent exchange occurred not in Russia where Georgian wine is
currently banned but in Georgia’s Black Sea resort of Batumi, which
is enjoying an unprecedented influx of Armenian tourists.
According to Georgia’s department for tourism and resorts, 2006 is
breaking all records for the number of foreign tourists visiting the
country since it gained independence in 1992. The Black Sea autonomous
republic of Ajaria and its capital Batumi are the main destinations,
with a total of 250,000-300,000 holiday- makers expected there
this year.
Of the foreign tourists, 70 per cent are from neighbouring landlocked
Armenia. "We expect around 55,000 visitors from Armenia during the
holiday season. This is three times as many as last year," said Saba
Kiknadze head of the local tourist department.
The local government in Ajaria was busy advertising the attractions of
its resorts to Armenia long before the summer season started. It spent
20,000 laris (around 11,000 US dollars) printing publicity booklets,
calendars, maps and films that were distributed in Armenia.
In May, the Georgian authorities opened a special train service from
Yerevan to Batumi and back, especially for Armenian tourists. The
train runs every other day and a ticket costs between 55 and 85 lari
(around 30-50 dollars).
Suren Mkrtchian said his holiday company Eurasia and other Armenian
tourist operator rent out hotels and bring their customers directly
to them, generally for two weeks.
The prices in Ajaria, with a bed costing between around ten and 100
dollars a night, were affordable for those holidaymakers from Armenia
who spoke to IWPR.
"Prices are normal," said Levon Alkhazian, who is spending the second
summer running here. "Batumi is gradually becoming a European-style
resort."
Diana Haikian came to take a holiday in the resort town of Kobuleti
in Ajaria on the recommendation of her cousin and used the new train
service. She is with a group of 15 friends and colleagues.
"We are being served well at the hotel," said Diana. "There are places
where we can sit and have fun in the evenings. We’ve met a lot of
our acquaintances from Yerevan. I like it here but I have nothing to
compare it with. I have never been to European resorts and Russian
resorts are both more expensive and dull."
Diana said she liked Ajaria so much she hoped to spend her honeymoon
here next year.
Tourist department head Saba Kiknadze says a number of factors are
contributing to the Armenian tourism boom in Ajaria.
"The first is, of course, the change in the situation in Georgia in
general," said Kiknadze. "The image of our country is much better
today than a couple of years ago.
"We will soon place our advertisement clips about Georgia on CNN and
BBC and things with tourism will improve even further."
But he admitted that infrastructure in Georgia is in need of
improvement, "You cannot do everything at once. We have changed a
lot in Ajaria since last year."
Armenian capital has flooded into the region in the wake of Armenian
tourists.
Armenian prime minister Andranik Margarian visited Batumi in May and
won the support of the head of the local government Levan Varshalomidze
for facilitating Armenian investment. Last year, President Robert
Kocharian told Varshalomidze, "The big number of Armenian tourists who
visited Ajaria this summer makes it clear that economic cooperation
should be stepped up."
Armenian investment has been focussed so far on small businesses,
such as family hotels and restaurants rather than large infrastructure
projects. The cafes and other eateries have turned into small islands
of Armenia, serving Armenian food and playing Armenian music.
The founder of an Armenian chain of restaurants Vartan Makarchian
said proudly that the Georgian president himself had visited one of
his outlets.
"Mikheil Saakashvili has had lunch with us twice," said Makarchian.
"We were waiting for him yesterday too but he did not come. Our
popularity shot up after his visits."
Gogi Baghdadishvili’s small cafe has a menu in four languages –
Georgian, Russian, English and Armenian.
"Yes, the Armenians speak Russian too but their appetite will
improve if they read the menu in their native tongue," confided
Baghdadishvili. "This is business and the main rule is to attract
customers."
But not all the locals are happy with the Armenian invasion.
"I don’t understand why we have to adapt to the visitors," complained
Nargiz Diasamidze, a resident of Kobuleti. "It’s the tourists
themselves who should accept our customs. You can hear Armenian music
everywhere and Armenian meals are being sold everywhere. Don’t they
like ours?"
"First, the Armenian will first rent the hotels here and then they
will buy them," said Nugzar Chkonia, a worried Batumi resident.
But Guram Kharazi, who owns a private hotel in Kobuleti, is delighted
with the influx of Armenian capital: he has rented out his hotel to
an Armenian tourist agent.
"I used to spend the whole season looking for tourists and serving
them but can relax now," said Kharazi. "I’ve been paid well and I
will never sell my hotel, whatever money they offer me."
Eteri Turadze is a reporter for the Batumelebi newspaper in Batumi.