On December 4, in a hybrid format, the 4th Congress of the Tourism Committee and the 7th Board Meeting of the United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) were held. The main objective of the events was to promote sustainable tourism development and strengthen partnerships among member organizations.
The National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) was represented at the Congress by its official delegate to CORLEAP and PLATFORMA, Levan Abashidze, a member of the Tbilisi City Assembly; NALAG Executive Director Nino Rukhadze; and her deputy, Tatiana Bokuchava.
The meeting discussed annual reports, tourism development initiatives, and priorities for 2026. During the session on introducing new members, Levan Abashidze addressed the participants.
The delegate spoke about NALAG’s priority areas of activity and provided the audience with information on the association’s cooperation with international platforms, specifically: the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, CEMR, PLATFORMA, CORLEAP, as well as the UCLG world organization and its European section.
Levan Abashidze paid particular attention to the role of UCLG ASPAC’s Tourism Committee and stated that its membership enables Georgian municipalities to significantly deepen and expand cooperation with Asian countries.
“We believe that bilateral cooperation will facilitate rapprochement between different cultures, increase tourist flows from both sides, and serve as a foundation for economic development and deeper collaboration in other areas,” said Levan Abashidze, adding that NALAG is ready for intensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with UCLG ASPAC’s Tourism Committee.
The meeting’s program included presentations, experience sharing, discussions, and training sessions.
It is noteworthy that NALAG officially joined UCLG ASPAC’s Tourism Committee just a few weeks earlier, so the event held on December 4 was the association’s first official engagement in this platform.