On 19-21 May, the second dissemination conference of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project, “Developing the Green Tourism Concept through Education” - ENRICHER Hubs, took place at the State University of Moldova (MSU), in Chisinau.
The conference was attended by Caucasus Tourism School Affiliated Professor Giorgi Bregadze and Assistant Professors Nino Tigishvili and Nata Robitashvili, along with representatives from Georgia's partner universities. The event brought together the academic sector, international partners, and tourism industry professionals to share expertise and best practices in green tourism, innovation, and sustainable development.
On the first day of the conference, special emphasis was placed on sharing the experiences gained by partner universities through the Business Challenge initiative. Mr. Giorgi Bregadze, Affiliated Professor at Caucasus University, delivered a presentation titled: “The Green Tourism Hub as an Innovation Platform: Lessons from a Business Challenge”. His presentation highlighted the role of the Green Tourism Hub as an innovative platform, underscored the vital importance of collaboration between universities and the private sector, and reviewed the key takeaways from the project.
The conference also featured the online participation of Andro Jishkariani, founder of Legends Tskaltubo Spa Resort, whose business challenge served as the basis for a project undertaken by students of Caucasus University. Caucasus University students had previously worked directly on a business challenge tailored to his resort. During the sessions, participants also explored various projects focused on new approaches to sustainable tourism and examined the synergy between ongoing EU Green Deal initiatives and the ENRICHER Hubs project.
The second day of the conference’s was dedicated to the sustainability component of the green hubs and the overarching project. Discussions focused on how participants envision the long-term, sustainable continuity of the hubs' activities. Attendees also engaged in active group work and workshops regarding the potential expansion of the project and its contribution to the development of sustainable tourist destinations.
The program concluded with cultural visits and field excursions. Notably, on the third day, participants visited Orheiul Vechi, the village of Butuceni, and the Cricova Winery, providing them with firsthand examples of sustainable tourism and local community development in practice.
