Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili arrived in Batumi where he had
a meeting with residents celebrating the 6th anniversary of the
Adzharian revolution. Saakashvili said that he did not arrive to boast
about his achievements but to see whether the Rose Revolution had
fulfilled its promises and what else should be done to ensure a better
future, Rosbalt reports.
The inhabitants of the port and resort city said that the main problem
is employment. Saakashvili said that the problem is being solved, as
hotels and other facilities are being built. He noted that Batumi is
building more 5-star hotels than Moscow.
Saakashvili believes that solving the situation will require "more
development, more investment, more stability, more funds". Several
thousand people are involved in the construction of facilities in
Batumi. Several thousand are also employed in the state sector of the
port.
According to Saakashvili, 10,000 people will be employed in the hotel
sector in 2 years' time and 40,000 will be employed in the service
industry. Approximately 800,000 tourists plan to visit Adzharia this
year and 1, 200,000 are expected in 2012.
"This place will develop 5-times faster than Turkey" the president
said, adding that prices for real estate had increased a expected.
