Tourism Challenges in the Rural Areas of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara

The solving of economical and social development problems of rural populated area has particular urgency nowadays. It should be noted that the development of rural tourism is perspective and it gives opportunity to fully use the potential of populated rural area. The objective of research is to study the opportunities of rural tourism development in Georgia and in mountainous region of Adjara. Therefore, the main questions discussed in paper are: to analyze the employment opportunities for the population of rural areas; to foresee the possible secondary income, how to reduce the migration of rural population, especially the youth; possibility to supply the locally produced goods and service and to increase their awareness; and possibilities to develop the industries related to tourism. The joint efforts of government, municipal authorities, and business providers, with the involvement of rural area inhabitants are essential for the development of populated rural territories. The special attention should be addressed to the social initiatives and economic activities of local people through the involvement in the tourism sector development. The rural tourism and entrepreneurship development provide the possibility to solve the main social-economic problems of rural inhabitants.

The main purpose of the article is to analyse the peculiarities of tourism development and linkages between tourism sector and other branches of economy, especially agriculture, in the selected areas of Kazbegi Municipality - the town of Stepantsminda and villages of Sno and Juta. The research is focused on the socioeconomic aspects of tourism development, in particular, tourism services provided by local communities with emphasis on the influence of the family farming to the visitors’ outlook with reference to the local agricultural products. It is notable that participant observation of stakeholders and in-depth interviews with native and inbound tourists was used to study the current stage and potential of the host communities in terms of tourism development. Based on the research we argue that the observed rapid growth of tourist sector in the areas under investigation triggers economic growth, however the development is still fragmented and incomplete, as other branches of economy like agriculture, trade, etc., that should be connected to tourism activities, do not enjoy the expected growth. There search combines innovative and well established methodological approach for collecting and analysing qualitative data with help of MAXQDA and MAXApp.

2018

Nowadays the ecotourism is the fastest growing segment within the international tourism industry. It has seen massive growth since the early 1990s, growing 20-34 % per year. This indicator exceeded global tourism growth about three times. Despite this fact, ecotourism falls under a large category of tourism segments labelled as " experimental " tourism, which is forecasted to growth even faster than international tourism entirely. Ecotourism, as well as other segments of tourism has huge importance for Georgia in economic, social and cultural points of view. Among tourism segments, ecotourism is marked out for several reasons, from which the most important is Georgia's wide range of conservation areas such as national parks, state reserves, protected landscapes, etc. In this point of view, ecotourism has huge potential here, however, it is essential to develop relevant infrastructure for it.

Theoretical-methodological basis of research is the fundamental provisions of economic theory, the works of foreign and Georgian scientists in the field of tourism, which are based on the spirit of Western economic thinking and research. The paper uses legislative and normative acts adopted in relation to tourism development in the country, Government Resolutions, Higher Education Institutions and Research Centers and International Conference Materials, as well as information obtained through the internet network. Quantitative and qualitative analyzes of the economic events and statistical analysis methods are used in the processing of the research. Various aspects of the selected community have demanded to focus on determining the goals and objectives. Taking into consideration the level of development of the country's tourism industry in various aspects, the purpose of the study research was to analyze the features of the abovementioned sectors in interconnection with the protected areas. Special attention was paid to the growth of mass tourism development and studying anthropogenic processes on the possibility of avoiding its negative ecological impact, as well as Its reasonable management, as well as on environmental tourism development issues, which is based on the comprehending of the nature, the gratitude of the country, the sustainable development of the country and regions, etc. In addition, the goal of the research was to identify the shortcomings and problems of the essential character in the field, which prevented further development and growth of tourism industry. To achieve this goal, specific recommendations and conclusions of overcoming were elaborated. Based on this, the following tasks were identified: – Justification of the characteristics and significance of the role of tourism industry in the world and the country's economic development; – Determining the hazardous factors of accelerated development of tourism in the country and setting up specific ways of overcoming it. The main findings of the research are the development of the tourism industry and the increasing the main characteristics and putting forward the key problems on the modern stage of country development. Development of tourism of the whole country and economic prosperity greatly depend on solving of these problems. The news received in the research can be as follows: – The modern state of tourism industry development has been studied including given natural-recreational resources, as well as economic-statistical analysis of the usage of protected natural areas; – Theoretical-methodological basis for acceleration of tourism development has been worked out. The main ways and directions for its development have been established, conclusions and proposals have been developed. Analysis of the economic-statistical material presented shows that the volume of revenue received from ecotourism is modest in spite of the greatest potential in the country and can not respond to existing challenges-overcoming poverty, creating new working places, raising socioeconomic welfare of the population, and so forth. To get high volume revenue from tourism services of the country's protected areas here, and in other areas of Georgia (where there is a potential), the world-class skiing, mountainous, adventure, recreational treatment, marine and other directions of tourism which have less negative impact on the living environment. It has also been established that these measures are not sufficient for solving existing problems. As foreign experience have proven, the most realistic way to increase revenue from tourism services is to change the structure of visitors in the country. In particular, to increase the number of tourists with high paying potential at the expense of decreasing share of mass tourists. To do this, it is necessary to develop and implement such activities, which will make Georgia's natural and cultural resources as world-class tourist products and creates the possibility of making unique impressions. It will facilitate attracting high-paying contingent from EU countries, North America and Asia. As a result of the amount spent by visitors of this category, the contribution of tourism to the growth and development of the Georgian economy will increase. More attention will be paid to Georgia's natural and cultural resources as world-class tourist products and turn it into the possibility of making unique impressions, as well as paying more attention to the visitor's high ability to pay and diversity rather than the number of visitors. The amount of such contingency would reduce the risks associated with environment and finances, it would increase the income, increase economy and increase socioeconomic well-being of the population. Tourism development is one of the priority directions of the Georgian economy, since this sector significantly ensures the socioeconomic growth of the country, hence, raising the level of living of the population. Therefore, in the modern stage, it is vitally necessary to implement state policy in the country, which will facilitate solving problems in the field of tourism and sustainable development of the sector. These are the issues discussed in the work – " Georgian Tourism Industry – Specifications of Development, Problems, Prospective ". The article notes that despite the many political and socioeconomic problems accumulated in the country, travelers and tourists flows intensively, which is a positive result of the development of the sector. However, unfortunately, the negative impact of humanity on the nature is strengthened, which is evident in most types of tourism.

Sustainability, 2021

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

The paper deals with an analysis of the European tourism. We operated during 2000-2010 time period, and we analysed the specific indicators of the tourism in Romania. Romanian tourism is low developed and depends powerfully on domestic demand. Neither the myth of the rural tourism in Romania is not real as long as the infrastructure is lamentable and the services are shoddy and expensive. Practically, the international touristic flows in the country are still low and mainly for business purposes. An optimal solution for Romanian tourism has to be focused on three elements: macroeconomic sustainable development, public financial support and a new touristic management approach, as well. The conclusions of the paper are followed by pertinent graphics, maps and diagrams.

Management & Marketing, 2024

Rural tourism is characterized as a form of self-initiated tourism, which has, in the foreground, the involvement of the local population, which helps considerably in supporting and promoting traditions, crafts, and customs. The methodology of this research is based on the study of the specialized literature by investigating a case study regarding the tourist activity of rural tourism in Vâlcea County. The research hypotheses forecast and serve the general objective of the study, namely presenting that rural tourism can be a realistic solution for the sustainable socioeconomic development of Vâlcea County. This work aims to identify the main development areas of Vâlcea County where the trends of development and practice of rural tourism are significantly important for the Oltenia Region as a first step towards unique research for promotion, sustainability, and socioeconomic development in rural areas.

Rural tourism is a form of tourism that is based on natural resources and requires intertwining with rural areas. It can be easily integrated with other types of tourism, and can be an effective global development strategy. Therefore, introducing rural tourism practices in various regions throughout the world allows further exploration of the reciprocal effects of agriculture, rural areas and tourism. This book provides insights into the potential of rural tourism potential and its future development, through unique examples and case studies drawn from Turkey, which has been increasingly implementing this form of tourism in recent years. Given the continued existence of traditional lifestyles in rural areas and villages, in addition to the rich cultural heritage, local handicrafts, and the natural flora and fauna, rural tourism holds massive potential for Turkey. The volume will appeal to both international academicians and tourism professionals and practitioners, in addition to anyone with an interest in rural areas and rural development.

International Journal of Scientific Research and Management, 2018

Rural tourism is considered as one of the essential elements making significant contributions to rural development in many developing countries. A well planned and adequately operated rural tourism sector provides job opportunities for local people, increases living standards, alleviates poverty, prevents migration, and ultimately makes it possible for rural people to enjoy living at their original places of residencies. All of these benefits encourage governments and all other relevant stakeholders to put more emphasis on rural tourism activities when planning and to implement rural development programs. The primary aim of this study was to examine the opportunities of sustainable rural tourism in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. It based on an extensive review of related literature, governmental reports, and experiences and observations of the researchers in the region. The study revealed that the Eastern Black Sea region has a remarkable rural tourism potential and it will...

2014

The paper addresses the main aspects and tendencies of the tourism in the context of sustainable development, of the place and importance of rural tourism, the usefulness of using an index system in touristy and rural tourism activity, of measuring the rural tourism activity on a country level and the need to develop it, considering its possible integration into the European touristic market. Furthermore, a new index system, to be applied in the rural tourism is set up, as well as an original structure concerning data processing and analyzing for the data acquired by sampling. These elements are only useful if applied by I.C.T (Touristy Research Institute), by other government-and non-government institutions, or even by companies interested in developing business in rural tourism, or make research work on certain aspects of the rural tourism activity, on the tourists' behaviour in the context of this type of tourism.

International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 2018

Tourism plays a significant role in the development of the society at different levels and is seen as an important source of employment and income especially in rural areas. Considering its different potential impacts, the present study aims to explore the effects of tourism development on the rural area of Giyan district. The target population comprised the residents of rural areas in the vicinity of Giyan tourism district (N=7500). Using the Cochran’s formula, the sample size was estimated to be 285, and a completely random sampling method was applied for data collection. A self-administered questionnaire was used as research instrument whose face validity was confirmed by a panel of experts. In order to estimate the reliability of the questionnaire, a Cronbach’s alpha was used for the pre-test. The reliability and validity of the factor analysis were estimated by Composite Reliability (CR) and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) for study components, respectively. In addition to the...

Rural tourism is an important factor that improves sustainability and development of the regions. However, it is not easy for every region to make possible sustainable rural tourism activities. In other words the process needs a strategic rural development program. This study examines the Rural Development Program (RDP) approach to tourism through the example of Basilicata region of Italy which has a high level of rural areas and is the third region in line among the regions close to city centres in terms of the highest number of nights spent by the domestic tourists. Particularly, some important components, in accordance with the development process , have been mentioned in terms of rural tourism and components which are related to development of regional tourism intensity. Furthermore, evaluation of the RDP's contribution on the regional development in terms of economic and social aspects and its requirements were examined in the study through the related statistics and literature review. 1 Only "the earlier form of the abstract part" of the study was mailed for presentation to National Tourism Congress (was in 18-22 May 2016), but later the abstract could not have been presented because of health problems, so that it was not taken to conference paper. Then, both abstract part and the whole study have been developed for the current article form.

Sustainability, 2021

The strategic planning of rural development is focused on both economic growth and sustainable development. Sustainable rural development is essential for conserving and improving resources, while economic growth contributes to a better standard of living. The aim of the research is to determine, using the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methodology on the example of the village of Zlakusa, the economic activities developed in the village, the importance of rural tourism, and the scope of sustainable development taken into account in rural development. The results of the research show that the success of the rural community depends on: diversification of economic activities, which is accompanied by cohesion of the population through association and organization; organized activities aimed at local or republican authorities; activation of human and social capital; and initiating activities involving marginalized groups. Educating the population outside formal education improves t...

2006

There are some elements related to the concept of rural tourism which has nowadays become very important around the world. The rural tourism can revitalize the conventional concepts and views on tourism, and bring in a new dimension to the sustainable development of tourism. It has been realized that tourism can play a major role in many countries economies, especially