Tourism (2003)

The book describes the history, present state and developmental trends of the world and Georgian tourism. The subsidiary textbook ‘Tourism’ is destined for the tourism students and specialists and teachers engaged in the field of tourism.

Foreword

Tourism occupies a special place in the development of the world economy. In tourist countries, tourism is an effective means to develop trade and service helping boost the monetary incomes and employment, publicize the national traditions and cultural heritage of the country on the world level and provide finances for their protection.

Therefore, in the transient period to the market economy, tourism is among the priorities of the development of the country’s national economy. It is true that Georgian tourism faces certain problems, but its recognition and necessity for its development may be considered as a set fact. At present, the field of tourism in the country is protected by the relevant legislative base, and we think, the problem of its revival is the matter of time only. At the same time, the business of modern tourism needs attracting and growing up energetic, creative and strong staff and equip them with proper knowledge. In Georgia, these aims are served by the faculties and chairs of the several state and private high schools.

We should confess that in the process of transferring to the market economy, there can hardly be found high school specialties at least partly provided by modern text-books printed in the Georgian language, and tourism is not an exception, either. Tourism has acquired the status of the specialty on its own only in the past decade. As for the non-Georgian special literature, in general, it lacks the studies and descriptions of the revival and developmental peculiarities of the tourist industry of our country. A subsidiary text-book ‘Tourism’ prepared by Metreveli M., Doctor of Economics, Vice Professor of Tbilisi State University of Culture and Arts is a timely and relevant arrangement to educate the professional staff in the field of tourism. The book uses the popular scientific language to describe the present state of the branch economy, factors affecting it and its developmental trends abroad and in our country. Particularly important is that the present text-book is the first work combining the material about the tourism potential of Georgia, its past, present and developmental perspectives what is necessary to train the professional staff in the branch of national tourism. At the same time, it provides a firm basis for creating new Georgian original text-books dedicated to tourism in the near future. This is the task undoubtedly accomplishable by the author.

It is extremely important that the subsidiary text-book ‘Tourism’ is structured according to the curriculum developed by the author of the book and includes the questionnaires about the learned topics. This is a good incentive for the students to work independently. The text-book gives simple and easily understandable explanations of specific terms making the work on the book easy and allowing further studying the special disciplines of tourism. This amount of the theoretical and information materials about the international and local tourism will interest not only the students of tourist industry, but also the specialists and teachers employed in the field of tourism.

Teimuraz Kandelaki,

Doctor of Economics, Professor

Editor:
Teimuraz Kandelaki _ Doctor of Economics, Professor

Reviewers:
Zezva Gugunishvili _ Professor
Ioseb Khelashvili _ Doctor of Geography
Davit Onoproshvili _ Doctor of Economics