Tourism expert Vano Vashakmadze says Georgia’s tourism statistics may include people who have moved to the country because of regional wars and conflicts rather than for traditional tourism purposes. He also questioned the transparency of the methodology used to calculate tourism spending, saying relevant agencies do not provide detailed information.
According to Vashakmadze, the tourism sector faces several major challenges, including staff shortages caused by low wages, seasonality, weak regional infrastructure and ineffective international marketing. He said better cooperation between the education sector and tourism industry is needed to train workers and provide them with more competitive employment opportunities.
He also called for greater development of regional destinations and infrastructure so tourism is not concentrated in cities such as Batumi during the peak season. This would require investment in historical heritage, attractions and destination management, with greater involvement from municipalities, government funds and international donors.
Vashakmadze further argued that Georgia needs to rethink how it promotes itself abroad. “Khinkali and khachapuri have become a little outdated; we need to come up with something else,” he said, stressing that international campaigns should offer tourists new reasons to visit Georgia beyond traditional gastronomy.
