Georgian tourism was named as growing fastest within emerging nations globe over with the growth rate averaging 39% in 2011, the UNWTO Tourism Highlights last report informed.

 This is the first ever information about Georgia in the UNWTO Tourism Highlights, a reputable annual report of the World Tourism Organization of the UN (UNWTO), Georgian National Tourism Agency (GNTA), informed on June 21, 2012.

The report highlights trends of 2011 informing that world tourism continued to rebound from the setbacks of 2008-2009, in a year marked by persistent economic turbulence, major political changes in the Middle East and North Africa, and the natural disaster in Japan. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals (i.e. overnight visitors) grew by 4.6% in 2011 to 983 million, up from 940 million in 2010 when arrivals increased by 6.4%.

The majority of destinations around the world that had not exceeded pre-crisis levels in 2010, did so in 2011. Contrary to the long-term trend, advanced economies posted higher growth (+4.9%) than emerging economies (+4.3%), due largely to the strong results in Europe, and the setbacks in the Middle East and North Africa. Europe and Asia and the Pacific (both +6%) were the fastest-growing regions in terms of tourist arrivals in 2011. Europe grew above expectations, despite continuing economic uncertainty, while arrivals in Asia and the Pacific increased at a slower pace over 2010, partly due to the temporary decline in the Japanese outbound market.

Out of emerging destinations – Georgia - showed the fastest rate averaging to 39%.

“In Central and Eastern Europe (+8%), major destinations such as the Russian Federation (+12%) and Poland (+7%) contributed to the buoyant sub-regional results,” the Report reads. “Georgia (+39%) showed the highest relative increase among the emerging destinations, continuing a trend of rapid growth in recent years. Azerbaijan (+22%) and Kazakhstan (+21%) also posted strong growth, followed by the Republic of Moldova (+18%), Estonia (+16%), Romania (+13%), Armenia (+11%) and Slovakia (+10%),”

According to GNTA, the fact that assessment of Georgia is taken in the annual fact- book of global tourism that provides trustful and influential information is very important for further development of tourism in Georgia as it attracts attention toward the country worldwide.

Georgia hosted about 3 million tourists in 2011 and expects 5 million this year.

Source:www.Georgialjournal.ge