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Georgia – Places to Explore

GEORGIA

Georgia - Operation World

Source: Google image

Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia, is a former Soviet republic that’s home to Caucasus Mountain villages and Black Sea beaches. It’s famous for Vardzia, a sprawling cave monastery dating to the 12th century, and the ancient wine-growing region Kakheti. The capital, Tbilisi, is known for the diverse architecture and mazelike, cobblestone streets of its old town.

Inbound tourism (visits to Georgia)

  • Visitor numbers : 5.14 million international visitors in 2023, an increase from the pandemic low of 1.4 million in 2021. 
  • Purpose of visit: Holiday, leisure, and recreation (2.69 million visitors), followed by visiting friends/relatives (1.05 million) and transit (658,000). 
  • Key destinations: The capital city, Tbilisi, received the most inbound tourists, followed by Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli, and Samtskhe-Javakheti. 
  • Reasons for travel:  Besides the primary reasons of holiday and leisure, international visitors also travel for business (349,000) and shopping (276,000).

Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia

Outbound tourism (visits by Georgian residents)
  • Purpose of visit: The main reasons for outbound travel are visiting friends and relatives and shopping. 
  • Key destinations: The majority of outbound visits in late 2024 were to Turkey and the Russian Federation. 
  • Visitor demographics: The 31-50 age group makes the most outbound visits.  Women account for approximately 45% of all outbound visits. 
  • Travel behavior: The average stay is around 7.3 nights, and most visits are repeat visits (about 97.8%).Despite a slight decrease in total expenditure, the average expenditure per visit increased by 4.8% in late 2024 compared to the previous year.
    Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia

    Types of Tourism in Georgia by Activity

    🏛️ Heritage Tourism

    • Uplistsikhe Cave Town: Ancient rock-hewn town with temples and dwellings dating back to the early Iron Age.
    Source: Google Images
    • Mtskheta: UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery.
    Source: Google Images

    🌿 Eco Tourism

    • Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park: One of the largest national parks in Europe, ideal for hiking and wildlife spotting.
    Source: Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
    • Tusheti Region: Remote mountain villages, pristine nature, and sustainable tourism practices.
    Source: Google Images

    🏖️ Sun, Sea, and Sand Tourism

    • Batumi (Adjara): Black Sea coastal city with beaches, palm-lined boulevards, and a vibrant nightlife.
    Source: Georgian Travel Guide

    🎭 Cultural Tourism

    • Tbilisi: Rich in museums, galleries, and historic architecture like the Narikala Fortress and sulfur baths.
    • Kutaisi: Home to the Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery.

    🏅 Sports Tourism

    • Gudauri: Popular ski resort in the Caucasus Mountains.
    • Batumi Stadium: Hosts international football matches and events.

    💼 MICE Tourism

    • Expo Georgia in Tbilisi: Major venue for conferences, exhibitions, and business events.
    • Hotels like Rooms and Radisson Blu: Offer meeting facilities and business services.

    🎉 Event Tourism

    • Tbilisi Open Air Festival: Annual music festival attracting international artists.
    • Rtveli: Traditional grape harvest festival celebrated across wine regions.

    🕯️ Dark Tourism

    • Stalin Museum in Gori: Dedicated to the life of Joseph Stalin, born in Georgia.
    • Abandoned Soviet-era sanatoriums: Found in places like Tskaltubo.

    🚢 Cruise Tourism

    • Batumi Port: Occasionally receives Black Sea cruise ships, offering access to Adjara and western Georgia.
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What makes tourism difficult to define?

Image Credit – Co-Pilot

“What comes to mind when you think of a tourist? A backpacker? A family at a theme park? A businessperson in a hotel? The truth is, all of these could be correct.”

Diverse Types of Visitors
  • Day vs. Overnight Visitors: Definitions struggle to include both day-trippers (who spend at least 3 hours away from home) and those who stay overnight, who are considered tourists. 
  • Business vs. Leisure Travelers: The definition must account for various motivations, including holiday, social events, and business, which can be challenging to distinguish. 
  • Non-Tourists Using Facilities: Some people use tourism facilities (like hotels or restaurants) for reasons other than tourism, such as local residents or researchers, complicating definitions. 
Source: Co-pilot

No single tourism “industry”

  • Fragmented supply side: Rather than a single “tourism industry,” the sector is a collection of many different component industries that serve travelers, including airlines, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, retailers, and more. Each of these has its own definitions and classifications, which creates inconsistent communication of tourism statistics (Stangl et al., 2024).
  • Mixed customer base: Businesses considered part of the tourism sector, such as restaurants and shops, often cater to local residents as well as visitors, making it hard to measure the true economic value of tourism activity.
  • Wide-reaching economic impact: Defining tourism’s economic impact is complex because it involves a long chain of expenditures that can affect many industries, including transportation, accommodation, entertainment, and retail. The effect extends from direct visitor spending to indirect and induced spending throughout the economy. 
Challenges for measurement and policy
  • Inconsistent data: The difficulty in defining tourism and tourists creates a challenge for data collection and analysis. Without consistent, agreed-upon definitions, it is difficult for different countries or even regions within a country to compare tourism statistics (Enzensberger, 1996).
  • Policy planning: The lack of a uniform definition creates challenges for planners and policymakers, as they must define tourism based on their specific needs for measurement, planning, or advocacy. This can cause discrepancies in tracking trends or assessing a destination’s capacity.
  • Holistic perspective: Increasingly, tourism is viewed not just as an economic activity but as part of a global socio-cultural and natural system. This means a modern definition must also consider broader issues like sustainability, local community engagement, and environmental impacts, further increasing its complexity.
    Image Credit: Perplexity.ai

    References:

  • Enzensberger, H. M. (1996). A theory of tourism. New German Critique, (68), 117-135.
  • Stangl, B., Li, Y., Ma, E., Xu, S., & Alsaied, M. (2024). Transferable skills in tourism and hospitality. Annals of Tourism Research, 109, 103854.