On September 21, Consul Cunanan was the guest speaker of Miriam College’s Department of Leisure and Tourism Management, in the latter’s seminar entitled “Welcome to my World: The Wonderful World of Tourism”. The event was in celebration of World Tourism Day 2013. Miriam College is located along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila (https://www.mc.edu.ph).

With the aid of official Georgian tourism videos and a powerpoint presentation, Consul Cunanan addressed almost 100 tourism students, coming from different schools and universities. His talk, which was entitled “Georgia to the World”, introduced the students to the history, landscape, society, arts, and culture of Georgia.

Consul Cunanan also described the many different tourist attractions in the country, including the numerous beautiful and ancient monasteries and churches, the natural beauty of the Caucasus mountain range and the Black Sea Coast, the wonderful eco-adventure tourism opportunities, and the treasure trove of arts and culture that can be found all over Georgia. He also talked about the rich culinary heritage of the country, focusing on the long history of wine-making, the delicious cuisine and “Supra” banquet tradition, and the warmth and friendliness of the Georgian people. Lastly, Consul Cunanan highlighted the success of Georgia’s tourism industry, its strong growth in visitor arrivals over the last four years, and the different plans and programs undertaken by the government, including a focused and aggressive tourism marketing campaign and the improvement of tourism infrastructure and related skills and manpower services.

After the talk, Consul Cunanan entertained questions from the students, many of whom were eager to learn more about Georgia and are looking forward to the participating in the academic and cultural exchange programs of the Honorary Georgian Consulate. He was also given a Certificate of Appreciation by the seminar’s organizers and posed for a souvenir photo with the attendees.