Abstracts - International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies

Provisions for formal educational opportunities are the secondary objective of a Strict Nature Reserve
category.
In protected areas, besides offering basic services related to accommodation, sustenance, and safety,
visitors are provided with unique opportunities for enjoyment, inspiration of material and nonmaterial values
of natural and cultural resources, as well as adventure and recreation prospects.
Visitor infrastructure development is guided by the principles of sustainable design and environmental
ethics. Inventory and adequate use of nonmaterial resources are also critical parts of the process.
Niko Kvaratskhelia
Tbilisi State Economic University. Georgia
Tendencies and Prospects of Cultural Tourism Development in Georgia
Cultural tourism development in Europe has been remarkable since 1980s. The reason for this is twofold:
On one hand, a large number of international conferences and congresses have taken place in the
region, and on the other hand, recommendations proposed by scholarly studies of tourism issues have been
implemented, consumer demands have been considered and the travel thematic refined. As a result, tour
operator offerings are comprised of a selection of better attractions.
Success of the contemporary tourism industry has depended on three major conditions:
Improvement of the well-being of the people: The annual income of citizens of the industrial European
countries increased 25-fold after World War 2. Purchasing capacity has also increased. Standard of
living has improved, influencing the planning of free time. People can spare more money and time for rest
and travel.
Increasing time resource: During the above mentioned period, work duration decreased in Europe, and
correspondingly people have more free time. The number of day-offs and holidays during the course of
year are quite large. People have more free time. This tendency will continue, reaching its maximum level
in 2020. Five day work-weeks with two day-offs, not including national and religious feasts and vacations,
all result in more free time, which should be properly planned and spent.
Keenness on traveling: This is an issue for individual study as it is not a uniform process. What one can
say for sure is that the attraction of Europeans to tourism is obvious and mass tourism increases. Scholars
consider that this was stimulated by the development of road infrastructure and communications. It should
be noted that the tourism business was ready for mass demands and has proposed a wide variety of services.
The economics of tourism results of this variety of offerings.
Cultural tourism envelops both humanitarian and business spheres, and is one of the best prospects
among the tourism segments for economical and cultural development of the territorial entity. Many countries
consider its development a priority. Georgia is among these countries. It has significant resources to
encourage tourism development: a picturesque environment, mild climate, diverse landscapes, national
parks, resort zones, mountain resorts famous for mineral spas, and a great number of historical monuments
found at every step. Five out of twelve thousand monuments are under protection of state,four of them are
enrolled on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites.
Proposed services should be adequate to meet the region’s the existing potential. Unfortunately, it must
be noted that the number of successful tourism operators currently does not exceed a dozen. Among the
reasons for the industry’s unmet potential, the following should be taken into consideration:
1. Cultural tourism routes in Georgia, as a rule, are restricted to pre-selected sites. They follow
the routes already paved by different tourism firms. All are reluctant to introduce novelties
and implement innovations. As a result, the firms, and correspondingly the tourists, take
no notice of many monuments of interest.
2. The state has not concerned itself with drawing recommendations for tour operators, or
supplying them with list of monuments and necessary information. The link between the
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CULTURAL TOURISM