Twelve sanatoriums in Tskaltubo are for auction, and "Medea" and "Tbilisi" are already sold

LLC "Aka" was registered in 2016. The owner of 96.9% of the company's share is Jamata Charkviani, and Lavrenti Jincharadze owns 3.1%. As for "Asi Group Hotels Georgia" LLC, the company was registered in December 2021, and its sole owner is Khaled Mohamed Abdelmoneb Kandil, an Egyptian citizen.

The auction period for the sale of the remaining 12 sanatoriums was extended. According to the information of the Ministry of Economy, the said decision was made as a result of high interest and requests from the business sector.

The state put up 14 objects - five premium class, five middle-class hotels and four different types of accommodation objects for sale in July. The total value of the things is about 50 million GEL.

According to the government, the state undertakes to invest tens of millions of GEL to turn Tskaltubo into an international spa resort. "Implementation of the large-scale restoration and development project of Tskaltubo will create more than 3,200 new jobs, a bed fund with more than 6,000 places, will attract an investment of 500 million GEL and significantly increase the number of visitors," the Ministry of Economy said.

First, President Saakashvili promised us the development of the Tskaltubo resort, then Ivanishvili, Garibashvili, Gakharia and Gharibashvili again. Later, the current Prime Minister stated in 2015 that Tskaltubo would compete with the famous German and Czech resort towns of Baden-Baden and Karlovy Vary.

Ivanishvili added to Garibashvili's promise and said that Tskaltubo would become the health and tourism capital of the region, and 20 thousand people would be employed, which would lead to the economic rise of the entire Imereti region.

In 2015, the Partnership Fund, a state investment fund, and the Austrian consulting company "Khol and Partners" developed a long-term plan to establish Tskaltubo as a medical and wellness spa resort. According to the project, in 2015-2021, investors were to be sought, and the first implementation phase started.

In a statement issued on October 29, 2019, the former Prime Minister and founder of "Georgian Dream", Bidzina Ivanishvili, said that she had decided to head the Tskaltubo revitalization project personally, buy out all 22 hotels, nine baths and fully rehabilitate them. However, officially, Bidzina Ivanishvili has not yet bought any sanatorium, and the rehabilitation of Tskaltubo has not yet started.

The development of the resort in Tskaltubo began in 1926. In 1931, Tskaltubo was declared a resort and balneotherapy centre. Tskaltubo mineral waters treat diseases of the heart, circulatory system, nervous system, metabolism, kidney, gynaecological and skin conditions. In 1953, Tskaltubo received the status of a city and resort of Union importance. 22 sanatoriums were built at different times. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tskaltubo was the most popular vacation spot for the Soviet elite, with 5,800 beds. A direct train was running from Moscow to Tskaltubo. After the war in Abkhazia, 560 families of IDPs were resettled in Tskaltubo sanatoriums.

Until 2022, 7 sanatoriums were sold - "Meshakhte", "Iveria", "Metallurg", "Tsiskari", military sanatorium, sanatorium "Rioni", former sanatorium "Sakartvelo"; the state company manages Sanatorium "Rkinigzeli". Investors do not fulfil their obligations in purchased sanatoriums.

Eight buildings in Tskaltubo resort have been granted the status of cultural heritage monument.