Caucasus University hosted an information seminar and stakeholder engagement conference within the framework of the Erasmus+ CBHE project ENRICHER Hubs - “Designing Green Tourism Concept through Learning.”
The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Ms. Irena Melua, Vice President for Internationalization at Caucasus University, and Ms. Nora Lappalainen, Project Manager at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and Coordinator of the ENRICHER Hub project.
The event brought together academic leaders, tourism experts, students, and stakeholders from Georgia, Moldova, Finland, Austria, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, and Japan.
Participants had the opportunity to explore best practices in sustainable tourism across Europe, presented through concrete case studies by European experts. Speakers also shared research findings on the state of green tourism in Georgia and Moldova, the role of green tourism hubs, and the concept of a business challenge competition.
The keynote address was delivered by Ms. Natalia Bakhtadze, Chairwoman of the Ecotourism Association, who presented on “Green Transformation in Georgian Tourism.”
The program featured a panel discussion on “Challenges of Sustainable Tourism, Future Opportunities, and the Role of Hubs in This Process,” moderated by Professor Giorgi Bregadze of the Caucasus School of Tourism. The panel brought together representatives from diverse areas of the tourism sector alongside international experts to discuss the role of innovation and sustainability in shaping the future of tourism in Georgia and the wider region. Drawing on real-world examples, participants highlighted the main challenges facing the sector and outlined potential solutions.
In addition, project members explored the role of green tourism hubs within partner higher education institutions in Georgia and Moldova, discussing their development and future prospects.
The initiative is carried out in collaboration with the Caucasus School of Tourism and eight leading universities from Georgia, Austria, Moldova, Italy, and Finland. The project is coordinated by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland).
„Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them“.
