United Airports of Georgia to Host Routes Silk Road

PR55878

MANCHESTER, England, Feb. 20, 2014/PRN=KYODO JBN /--

     The route development forum for CIS, Central & Eastern Europe,

                 Middle East & Asia heads to Tbilisi

    Routes Silk Road is the route development forum that connects CIS, Central

and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia and Routes is delighted to announce

that United Airports of Georgia (UAG) under the auspices of the Ministry of

Economy and Sustainable Development has been officially appointed as the Host

of the 2014 event which will take place on 6-8 July of this year.

    Routes Silk Road, which will be held for the first time instead of Routes

CIS, is expected to attract around 250 delegates. The event, which will take

place in Tbilisi, the beautiful and historic capital of Georgia, will offer

airports, airlines, tourism authorities and other stakeholders the perfect

platform to do business and improve air transport networks.

    "The passion and commitment of the United Airports of Georgia and its

stakeholders impressed our selection team and we are thrilled that Routes Silk

Road will take place in Georgia," said Adrian Newton, Group Director, Transport

and Technology, UBM Live: "Georgia is a gateway connecting several important

economic regions including Europe, the Newly Independent States (NIS), Turkey,

the Caucasus and Central Asia and as such it is the ideal location for Routes

Silk Road and one which we are looking forward to sharing with the broader

airline and airport community."

    Minister of Economy Giorgi Kvirikashvili commented: "We are privileged to

host Routes Silk Road 2014 in Tbilisi. It is a unique opportunity for Georgian

airports, airlines, tourism authority and their stakeholders to further develop

its business and expand the network. I believe Tbilisi is a perfect location

for this event and it will be a great experience for all attendees. The fact

that Georgia is hosting such an event underlines the great dedication of our

country to the industry as well as reflecting our aspiration to turn Georgia

into a regional hub, in the nearest future, as one of the important points of

the historic Silk Road."

    "In recent years Georgia has seen unprecedented growth of air transport,

passengers and number of tourists," added CEO of UAG Kate Aleksidze: "United

Airports of Georgia has developed some major infrastructural projects during

the last few years and has a lot to show to the international community of the

aviation industry."

    The event promises to help its host deliver on its objectives to raise

awareness of the destination to the global aviation community and promote the

country as an important geographical location. This is underlined by the

significant growth in passenger numbers (over 30%) which the country has seen

across all Georgian airports since 2012, with further growth expected this year.

    The event will also allow the UAG to showcase Kutaisi David the Builder

International Airport which opened in 2012. It is the first low cost airport in

the region and is focussed solely on attracting low cost carriers to facilitate

tourism development in Georgia. As a 100% state owned enterprise UAG owns all

four airports, which includes three international, in the country and over the

last eight years, all airport terminals have been fully rebuilt and modernised.

    Located at the crossroad of Europe and Asia, Georgia is the ideal location

for Routes Silk Road. The country is a transportation hub with 400km of

highways and 600km of air routes passing through it the Transport Corridor

Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) creating the shortest route from Europe to China

and Asia. It is a unique and diverse country with a land area of only 70,000

square kilometres mixing an ancient, rich culture with beautiful natural

landscapes. Georgia boasts 12,000 historical and cultural monuments, 14 strict

nature reserves and 8 national parks. In addition the country is one of the

oldest Christian countries and the birthplace of the first European

civilisation with the discovery of 1.8 million year old human remains in the

foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.

    Notes to Editors

    About Routes

    - Routes organises world-renowned airline and airport networking events

through its regional and global Route Development Forums. Each year, there is

one global event and one regional event in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas

and CIS respectively. http://www.routesonline.com

    - Routes was founded in 1995 as part of the Manchester UK-based ASM Ltd.,

a consultancy specialising in the field of route development for airports.

http://www.asm‐global.com [http://www.asm%E2%80%90global.com ]. Routes and ASM

are part of the UBM Live division of UBM plc.

    - UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across

five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products,

promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premiere brands such as

MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show, the Routes

portfolio of events, Airport Cities and many others, UBM Live exhibitions,

conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and

certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies

across more than 20 industry sectors. http://www.ubmlive.com

    Follow us on twitter: @Routesonline, @TheHUBRoutes, @VictoriaRoutes,

@NLPROU, @airlineroute

    About UBM plc

    - UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications

company. We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and

sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing

news and       specialist content. Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries

are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional

communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively

and efficiently.

    - For more information, go to: http://www.ubm.com [

natasha.peck@routesonline.com ]; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc

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    SOURCE: UBM Live Routes