“The number of visitors to the protected areas is increasing every year. Last year we hosted more than a million visitors and we think this number will increase even more this year,” - said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Otar Shamugia.

According to him, the new protected areas are established every year.

"Currently, active work is being done on the expansion of the existing protected area in Racha and the creation of the new protected areas in Samegrelo and Upper Svaneti. It should be noted that the number of visitors to the protected areas is increasing every year. Last year we hosted more than a million visitors and we think this number will increase even more this year. Taking this into account, it is important to have appropriate ecotourism and recreational infrastructure. We have already started work in the Tbilisi National Park. This unique nature is located near the city and has a lot of visitors. That is why it is important to offer a vacationer an organized infrastructure. I would like to mention the cooperation with the Swedish Development Agency, within the framework of which, with the co-financing of the state budget, seven million two hundred thousand GEL will be invested. The Ministry continues to work in this direction. This year, similar infrastructural works are planned to be implemented in approximately ten locations", Otar Shamugia said.