Georgia’s New Government in Transition

Travel professionals pride ourselves with staying informed on countries where Americans wish to experience.  As the only American and Tbilisi based tour operator that focuses exclusively on Georgia, we want to share with you the current state of Georgia’s government now that presidential elections have taken place. Giorgi Margvelashvili of the Dream Party has replaced Michel Saakashvili as President of Georgia.

By way of background, President Michel Saakashvili was the President of Georgia from 2003 through 2013. He founded the United National Movement during the Rose Revolution in 2003. He won election in 2003 and again in 2008 and served Georgia for ten years. The Constitution of Georgia permits the President to serve two five year terms. Saaksashvili left the President’s residence on November 15, 2013.

During President Saakashvili’s tenure, Georgia – a former Soviet Union country –  experienced a breathtaking transformation, moving away from a centralized and corrupt government and embracing a Western oriented democratically  focused society.  Extensive infrastructure investment was made throughout the country and foreign business investment in Georgia became the new norm.  Improvements in education and encouraging English as a second language rather than Russian gave Georgia a competitive advantage over other former Soviet Union countries.

So where does Georgia go from here under a newly formed government now that the United National Movement party is no longer the majority party? We at the American Georgian Travel Group are keeping a close watch on developments.  The US Ambassador to Georgia, Richard Norland, recently held a webinar reaching out to US entities doing business in Georgia. AGTG participated along with other large and small U.S. businesses.  Here’s what we know:  the “no visa required” for US travelers will remain in place.  Tbilisi remains one of the safest cities in Europe.  The situation with Russian remains stable. There are no security concerns. AGTG will continue to offer tours to Georgia.

You can be assured that when booking a tour with AGTG, you and your clients will have the most up to date information when travelling to Georgia.  We look forward to working with you in 2014, enjoying  a glass of Saperavi and eating kinkhali with your clients!