Tamuna Tandashvili, co-founder of the Georgian Tourism Industry Alliance, says the country’s tourism reform has not fulfilled its purpose. According to her, the reform was originally intended to align Georgia’s legislation with European standards and improve the business environment for tourism operators. However, she argues that after Georgia’s political direction shifted, the changes made to the law no longer serve the development of tourism or the creation of new attractions.
Tandashvili notes that the National Tourism Administration has not become an effective regulatory body and that the reform process has been dominated by repeated postponements rather than real implementation. She believes the newest amendments - once again delaying regulations and supervisory functions - do not address issues such as mandatory registration of tourism entities, financial guarantees for tour operators, or certification for high-risk tourism activities.
She highlights structural problems in the sector, including unclear tax obligations for guesthouses, inconsistent regional regulations, and the absence of institutional order. According to her, the initial promise of the reform was to create a coherent regulatory framework aligned with European markets, but this goal has not been met. “Professionals in the field will agree that the reform, in its essence, has not responded to the challenges it was supposed to solve,” Tandashvili said.
Under the newly proposed legislative package, mandatory registration in the Economic Activities Registry will be abolished and replaced with voluntary registration. Instead, tour operators, travel agencies, and guides will be required to register with the National Tourism Administration starting June 2027. Financial guarantees for tour operators are postponed until 2030, while certification for high-risk tourism service providers will become mandatory starting June 2026.
