Is Tourism the Beginning or the End? Livelihoods of Georgian Mountain People at Stake

Salukvadze, Gvantsa; Backhaus, Norman

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-19-00078.1

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…The authors identified "4 types of tourism-led livelihood change: (1) expanding non-agricultural activities; (2) reducing agricultural activities; (3) developing agritourism activities and (4) increasing agricultural activities." [44] (p. 27). Types 1 and 2 dominate and cause a massive decline in agricultural activities.…”

Section: Effects Of Over-shaping the Livelihoods Of Mountain Populati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crises around Concepts of Hospitality in the Mountainous Region of Svaneti in the North of Georgia

Applis

2022

Tourism and Hospitality

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This study revolves around the village community of Ushguli, located in the Upper Svaneti region in the North of Georgia, which attained UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996. Since around 2010, Ushguli has seen a step-by-step rise in tourism. Until now, it has found itself relatively unprepared to meet visitors’ interests and needs and cope with the diverse aspects of modern lifestyles. The encounter and, in many instances, clash of interests between villagers and tourists, occurring in a context in which the economic objectives of the former group are encouragingly continuously growing visitor numbers, is correspondingly difficult to channel and manage. Ushguli represents a region with ideal conditions for exploring tourism as a strategy for overcoming economic and social crises and its effects on spatial, economic, environmental and social structures against a backdrop of change in material and immaterial objects driven by all stakeholders involved. This paper provides an overview of the specific focus of a multi-year study, which began in 2017. The research approach is critical findings related to impacts on regional values and life organization. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that tourists’ online communicated expectations and reviews have a profound impact on local communities and create intense competitive pressure on the local people.

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Section: Effects Of Over-shaping the Livelihoods Of Mountain Populati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crises around Concepts of Hospitality in the Mountainous Region of Svaneti in the North of Georgia

Applis

2022

Tourism and Hospitality

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“…Most of these are in mountainous areas, with the aim of helping advance tourism, a policy further supported by the newly formulated Ecotourism Strateg y for Georgia -2030(KhartiShviLi et al 2019, pareSiShviLi et al 2017. The rationale behind these initiatives is to strengthen local economies and prevent depopulation, a severe problem in Georgia's mountain regions (SaLuKvadze & bacKhauS 2020, KohLer et al 2017.…”

Section: Introduction 1tourism In Georgiamentioning

confidence: 99%

The rise of guesthouse tourism in the Greater Caucasus and the effects of the covid pandemic. The example of Lagodekhi town and its Protected Area, Georgia

Schmid¹,

Gugushvili²,

Köhler³

2022

Erdkunde

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In Georgia, tourism has become a key sector of the economy, especially since the country opened up for private investment after independence in 1991. Guesthouses, the focus of this paper, present a typical example of such private investment. In dealing with this sector, we adopt a synoptic view, and look into development over time, services offered, motives for hosting guests, outcomes, and the effects of the COVID pandemic. Geographically, our focus is on the town of Lagodekhi and its Protected Area (PA) on the foot slope of the Greater Caucasus. Our methods included a review of literature, followed by a questionnaire survey in 2018 among all 23 guesthouses in the town, covering qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of the sector. To follow up on the effects of the pandemic, which reached the area in 2020, we did a re-survey among all houses in June 2021. The results show that all guesthouses are owner-occupied and family-run, with women taking the lead, following traditional gendered labour division. The owners see themselves as paid service providers but also as hosts, who offer insights into local culture free of charge based on traditional hospitality. We posit that this dual role is a unique selling proposition, distinguishing the sector from mass tourism, and presenting an ideal complement to the nature-based attractions of the PA. The COVID pandemic led to an almost total collapse of this sector, especially relating to foreign guests, by far the most numerous visitor group. But the guesthouses remain positive about the future and continue to invest in their houses. To conclude our paper, we present ideas relating to the future of guesthouse tourism in the study area, based on experience before and with the pandemic.

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“…Georgia provides many opportunities to develop sustainable tourism with diverse resources (unique natural resources, landscape, diverse ecosystems, historical and cultural monuments, ethnographic abundance etc.). Notably, the pursuit of active policies to promote tourism by the central government over the past two decades has substantially changed the dynamics of development for the better [12]. As for the Adjara region, there are different types of tourism, including sun and beach tourism, eco-tourism, bird and raptor watching tourism, rural tourism, wine tourism, ski and mountain resorts etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Residents’ Perceptions towards Tourism Development—A Case Study of the Adjara Mountain Area

et al. 2022

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Tourism development involves both positive and negative impacts on economic, social and natural environments, which represent essential pillars for sustainable development. It is in this context that the present research was conducted in the Adjara Mountain area of Georgia aiming to identify residents’ perception towards tourism development. An online survey was conducted among 620 residents. The data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics and principal component analysis. As such, the results of the principal component analysis led to a two-factor solution: “positive effects” and “negative effects”. Older and more educated respondents perceived the impacts of tourism development more positively compared to the younger group and to the less educated one. A statistically significant difference was found between females and males regarding their perception of the positive impacts of tourism development. The study represents a first step in investigating the residents’ perception towards tourism development in the Adjara Mountain region, and the results could constitute a starting point for future tourism strategies in the area.

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Is Tourism the Beginning or the End? Livelihoods of Georgian Mountain People at Stake

Cited by 9 publications

References 34 publications

Crises around Concepts of Hospitality in the Mountainous Region of Svaneti in the North of Georgia

Crises around Concepts of Hospitality in the Mountainous Region of Svaneti in the North of Georgia

The rise of guesthouse tourism in the Greater Caucasus and the effects of the covid pandemic. The example of Lagodekhi town and its Protected Area, Georgia

Exploring Residents’ Perceptions towards Tourism Development—A Case Study of the Adjara Mountain Area

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