Dimitri Kumsishvili, deputy prime minister and minister of economy of Georgia, tells Sebastian Shehadi how the country transformed into an open and global economy that boasts a booming tourism industry and vast, but largely untapped, hydro-power resources.

fDi's inaugural Tourism Editor's Choice Awards for tourism single out the countries that have devised specific and successful strategies to attract investment. Belize, Croatia and Jamaica are just three of the countries punching above their weight, reports Cathy Mullan.

Davit Narmania, the mayor of Tbilisi in Georgia, tells Courtney Fingar how the city is boosting tourism with better transport access and how it is adding green credentials to its low-tax, low-bureaucracy environment.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili, the prime minister of Georgia, tells Courtney Fingar how he is hoping his tax reforms, reduction in red tape and infrastructure improvements will help attract further inflows from the countries of the Middle East. 

A positive rating and impressive rankings for tackling corruption and ease of doing business are getting Georgia noticed internationally. And while the country’s challenges are many, new agreements on trade could provide a further FDI boost. 

The Georgian capital of Tbilisi still has pockets of unpleasant scenery. However, impressive new buildings are now cropping up all over the city – partly in preparation for its hosting of the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival – and its mayor says that he hopes these investments are just a start.

The mayor of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, Giorgi Ugulava, tells Courtney Fingar at the Sixth Tbilisi Local Economic Development Forum how the country's growing tourism sector and the minimal political influence on its economy has aided its recovery.