Thursday, August 19, 2010

Georgia: Girl wins competition to become new Tourism Department chief

28 year old former Abkanadian bakery worker, table dancer, and recently appointed Minister of Economic and Sustainable Development, Vera Kobalia, has announced the winner of a contest to find a a new head for the Tourism and Resort Department. Contestants had to submit proposals to develop the tourism sector in Georgia. Maia Sidamonidze's project was the cheapest among the 109 projects submitted to the ministry so she won and will hold the position for a year.

Ms Sidamonidze lived in London for several years and was educated within the tourism sphere. She received her bachelor's degree in Switzerland and her masters - in England. Sidamonidze has a working experience in the similar field.

According to Ms Sidamonidze her plan includes the development of both domestic tourism and the growth of foreign tourists, and so it should. Her plan also includes the promotion of small and medium businesses, creation of new jobs, increase of level of service and qualification of personnel.

Maia Sidamonidze names the development of infrastructure and promotion and collaboration with the private sector as one of her main priorities.

Well, we think that's just great and we wish her the best of luck! We look forward to the day when tourists can actually book a room in one of these many guest houses and that there will be a well orchestrated timetable of rural transport services available to allow people to actually plan their trip. If only they'd held a competition like this instead of spending all those millions in foreign aid in developing... whatever it is they developed, then perhaps Georgia wouldn't get itself into such an economic quagmire in the first place.


--

No comments:

Post a Comment