Guess who's visiting Georgia?

In the first six months of 2011, a record number of tourists (1.4 million) have visited Georgia which is a 45% increase for the same period last year. Russian tourists were ranked the fourth most frequent visitors to Georgia during the first six months of the year: an increase of 50% for the same period last year. The greatest increases were tourists from Kazakhstan (251% more than last year) and Iran (156% more than last year). The rankings of the most visitors to Georgia (by nationality) include: (1) Turkey; (2) Azerbaijan; (3) Armenia; (4) Russia; (5) Ukraine; (6) Iran; (7) United States of America; (8) Kazakhstan; (9) Israel; and (10) Germany.

Tbilisi (the capital) and Batumi (the seaside resort on the Black Sea) are the most popular tourist destinations in Georgia, especially in the summertime. Batumi is popular for its festivals, concerts, and high proportion of international guests, as well as its beaches.

While Russians are visiting Georgia, Georgians are going to Turkey. Neighbouring Turkey is the most popular destination for Georgians for their summer vacation. They love it because of the easy customs services and low accommodation costs – and most people drive there. The resort village that are most popular in Turkey include Antalya, Belek, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Alanya, and Side.

The demand for European destinations has also risen since last summer. Spain, Italy, and Prague are among the most commonly visited countries by Georgians. The Prague-Vienna-Barcelona tour is a popular combination. Also popular in summer are honeymoon tours to Spain, Italy, Vienna, and Prague. Exotic locations for Georgians are also on the rise, such as Malaysia and Thailand.

As for Australians, the latest MasterCard consumer purchasing priority survey indicates that 53% of Australians made at least one international leisure trip in the past 12 months and 21% made at least one international business trip. Looking forward, 32% of Australians said that they were interested in taking an international leisure trip in the next 12 months. If they are interested, the New York Times list of “Places to Visit in 2011” includes: (1) Santiago, Chile; (2) San Juan Islands in Washington State, America; (3) Koh Samui, Thailand; (4) Reykjavík, Iceland; (5) Milan, Italy; (6) Tbilisi, Georgia; (7) London, England; (8) Loreto, Mexico; (9) Park City in Utah State, America; and (1) Cali, Colombia.

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog