Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Natia Turnava, talks about the already existent as well as potential threats associated to the novel coronavirus.

“This is a global challenge that will have an impact on the global economy, trade and aviation. But we have no cause to panic. Our healthcare system is well prepared. We have taken all the necessary measures on time, including the temporary ban of air traffic from China and Iran.

As for the damage, it all depends how long the factor will last. The direct impact on Georgian tourism is estimated at a loss of around 30 million GEL per month. This concerns merely the restriction of flights to the above mentioned countries. But it is likely that people from other countries will refrain from traveling and this will have a negative impact too.

This virus has its specific characteristics and with the warming we await in spring, I hope the challenge will be overcome. I also believe we will manage to fill in the 2-3 months loss as our tourism sector is now blossoming”, - said Natia Turnava.