Sitting in the empty dining room of the central Tbilisi hotel he owns, Shalva Alaverdashvili is one of those whose business is suffering under Georgia’s ongoing political crisis, with the country’s vital tourism industry feeling the impact. The 46-year-old’s hotel has been right in the midst of the regular pro-EU protests that have gripped the city since disputed October elections and Alaverdashvili says the unrest has triggered a wave of cancellations that has cost hoteliers around “3.5 million euros” collectively.
