Author: Tatyana Gracheva
Georgia’s visa-free policy welcomes Chinese travelers as gives tourism hope
An immersive cultural showcase for those attending the opening gala took place on May 25th at W Shanghai. The reason is the coinciding of Georgian National Day, 26th May, with the opening of this year’s edition of ITB China.
The annual travel trade event which is now on its ninth edition made Georgia its official partner destination.
Traditional Georgian specialities and a selection of wines and spirits produced in the region were on the menu. Meanwhile, folk dances and the country’s famed polyphonic singing entertained the attendees.
As Messe Berlin (China) managing director David Axiotis said in February, Georgia has built a strong and growing presence in the Chinese market. Chinese travelers got interested in its cultural experiences, gastronomy and wine, and diverse natural landscapes. Combined with visa-free travel policy, these reasons made the popularity of this destination increase steadily. Georgia’s sustained commitment and long-term strategic planning for the Chinese market made the country ITB China’s Partner Destination for 2026. Nevertheless, the sides look forward to deepening understanding of Georgia among Chinese travel professionals and enabling meaningful, substantive cooperation.
Georgian deputy minister of economy and sustainable development Irakli Nadareishvili appreciated all working partners and guests who came to celebrate the spirit of global tourism and international cooperation.
As Nadareishvili declared, in 2023, Georgia had the great honour of serving as a host country of ITB Berlin. It was an important milestone in strengthening Georgia’s global tourism position. Today the country is proud of its success in the region of Shanghai as the official partner destination of ITB China in 2026.
According to the deputy minister, tourism stands among the most dynamic and rapidly growing sectors of the global economy in this day and age.
Undoubtedly, tourism drives economic growth, sustainable development and the formation of cooperation.
Also, tourism brings people, cultures, and nations closer together.
Nadareishvili also said that tourism fosters mutual understanding in China and encourages meaningful dialogue and lasting connections through shared experiences and cultural exchanges.
Along the history, Georgia’s geographic position at the crossroads between Asia and Europe has made it a meeting point and melting pot for cultures, traditions and traditions.
Meanwhile, a strong and distinctive national identity was shaped by this unique geographical and geopolitical position.
As Nadareishvili said, Georgia’s hospitality, a deeply rooted cultural value defined by respect, generosity and openness towards every guest are at the core of this identity. Georgia offers the global stage a rich and diverse gastronomy, and well-preserved living heritage, as well as the oldest winemaking traditions.
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According to Minister of Social Policy Denis Ulyutin, Ukraine’s population dropped from estimated 22 to 25 million. This downfall has made the country look for potential labor recruitment. Morocco is one of among 70 countries for this aim.
As a result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Security Service of Ukraine received an order from the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Kirill Budanov, to urgently review a list of 70 countries to ease restrictions and simplify the process of attracting foreign workers.
That list includes such countries as Morocco, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, and dozens of other nations. There are already some workers from these countries in Ukraine, primarily in logistics and construction.
As Arsen Makarchuk, head of Ukraine’s State Statistics Service, estimates, the current labor deficit is approximately two million workers. The country’s employment market and social safety net undergo significant pressure due to this. According to Ulyutin, there are currently 13 million unique recipients of social payments and 10.2 million pensioners in Ukraine.
Before 2022, employers issued around 20,000 work permits for foreigners annually. Then, that number has shown a dramatic decrease. They issued only 4,720 permits in 2024. In 2025, the figure rose to 7,483 but remained less than half the pre-war level. As the agency stressed, priority in employment still belongs to Ukrainians.
According to Olga Dukhnich, head of the Demography and Migration division at the Frontier Institute, online fears about mass labor migration from Bangladesh are not real. As she explained, the Ukrainian market is not too appealing for Bangladeshi workers. The reason is the priority of seeking employment in the United Kingdom and Gulf states.
Also, Dukhnich acknowledged the lack of experience with large-scale foreign migration and outdated stereotypes of Ukraine’s employers. She is sure that migration from Bangladesh does not threaten Ukraine in the coming decade. Attracting labor migrants at all is a hard task for the country.
According to the estimation of Ulyutin, around two million people could return to Ukraine after the war ends or a sustained ceasefire takes hold. Nevertheless, the ratio of working citizens to dependents remains critical, even under an optimistic estimate of 29 million.
Moreover, the demographic trajectory will only worsen, as financial analyst Alexei Kushch warned. He compares Ukraine’s annual natural population loss to the disappearance of a major city. Other negative tendencies are shrinking life expectancy and the emigration of young men, whose families send them abroad to avoid future mobilization.
UN data from the fall of 2024 report that Ukraine’s population shrank by eight million since February 2022. According to Libanova, the country will never return to its Soviet-era level of approximately 52 million.
Source https://nh-consulting-services.com/2026/05/23/ukraines-two-million-worker-gap/
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