The abolition of the visa regime with the European Union as a result of the Association Agreement of 2014 allows free movement and exchange for the citizens of Georgia.
Against the background of this liberalization, the government has attracted foreign investment in the country through the platform “Trade with Georgia”, which acts as a kind of “open door” and a popularization stage. According to the Georgian National Tourism Administration, the conditions for attracting investment are mainly simplified procedures, lesser bureaucracy, improvement of the business climate and support for the development of the technical sector.
The state policy in the tourism sphere is pursued by the Georgian National Tourism Administration, a Legal Entity of Public Law, within the system of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, which independently conducts activity by state control.
The Georgian National Tourism Administration reported that the tourism-related services accounted for 6.73% of the national GDP in 2015. However, it is impossible to separate cultural tourism from other types of tourism economic activity.
Georgia has often been praised in the international media for its cuisine, historical heritage, nature, fashion, design and films, and it has become an attractive country for tourists, travellers, culinary fans and wine experts.
According to the 2019 data, popular activities for visitors are:
- Tasting of Georgian wine and cuisine – 80.15%
- Sightseeing – 77.5%
- Visiting nature, landscapes – 34 .1%
- Visiting local culture and art – 25.5%
The number of tourists visiting Georgia reached record levels in the first semester of 2017. Their number exceeded 2.9 million, which was 13.4% more than the previous year. The number of international traveller visits in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 2 120 404, which was 12.1% more than the previous year.
However, in October2021 – the second year of the pandemic – the number of visitors decreased by 71.8% compared to October of 2019.
The share of tourism and related services in the economy was 7.3% according to 2017 data. The pandemic has hampered tourism development and revenues, but infrastructure development has not stopped, allowing the industry to recover rapidly in the post-pandemic period.
Among 1 500 newly registered companies added to the business agency BIA database in 2016, 8% represented the tourism sphere. Among active companies, 4.3% are engaged in tourism.
The state cooperates closely with international organizations to develop tourism. Georgia became the 27th member state of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in 2016.
In 2021, the 10th Consultative Forum of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe was held by the city of Kutaisi. Due to the pandemic, the forum was held online.
The theme of the most important international event was “Resilient and Sustainable Cultural Routes – Innovating Our Way out of the Crisis”.
Georgia is currently participating in five certified cultural routes of the Council of Europe:
- The European Route of the Jewish Heritage;
- The Wine Route;
- Prehistoric Rock Art Trails;
- European Route of Historic Thermal Towns;
- European Route of Historic Gardens.
In connection with the opening of domestic tourism in the country in the summer of 2021, the first mobile application of Georgia’s cultural routes was launched.
The free mobile application Cultural Routes Georgia, created at the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, is available for both Android and iOS platforms.
In 2021, Georgia became a member of the Executive Board of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the period 2021-2025.
In 2021, 50 000 GEL were allocated for the sub-direction “Development of a special training module in the field of culture for tourist guides” of the Culture Promotion Programme of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
The strategic documents “Georgian Tourism Strategy 2025” and “Cultural Strategy 2025” promote Georgian tourism. The Cultural Strategy 2025, Chapter III: Sector-specific Tasks – Cultural Tourism prioritises the following:
- Promote and exploit the economic potential of cultural resources (e.g. intangible, tangible and natural heritage, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, traditional holidays, etc.) in terms of encouraging sustainable development of tourism, use this potential to create unique, authentic and internationally competitive tourism experiences;
- Develop training programmes for managers of cultural objects and representatives of the tourism sector about existing trends in tourism markets and tourism marketing, but also about the opportunities to use different cultural resources in tourism development, the economy of cultural tourism, international best practices and other relevant tasks;
- Strengthen coordination between the authorities, representatives of tourism and the creative industries and non-governmental sector in order to allow accumulation of information regarding cultural tourism, statistical data about its economic influence and in order to develop and implement research-based policies;
- Promote public-private partnership in order to develop cultural tourism (e.g. elaborate legislative initiatives, investment packages and partnership schemes, support cultural events of national importance, develop brand packages, participate in support programmes of international donors, etc.);
- Develop local and international cultural routes (guidance and information symbols, paths, etc. for tangible, intangible and natural heritage); Integrate Georgia in transnational cultural routes (e.g. the Europe Cultural Routes programme, UNWTO Silk Road Programme);
- Support the sustainable development of tourism in collaboration with interested organizations in order to limit the negative impact of tourism on monuments of cultural and natural heritage and the environment, and ensure the growth of economic and social benefits for local populations.
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