THE GEORGIAN RESORTS AS A BASIS FOR WELLNESS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Political, economic, social and ecological changes that have taken place in the world in recent decades have brought about the increase of population's demand for wellness tourism. At present, wellness tourism is the fastest growing and most significant segment of the world tourism industry, with double growth rate, compared with the growth rate of the tourism industry as a whole, each customer spending 53percent more than a typical international tourist. Though wellness tourism is a global phenomenon, its implementation is predominantly localized in the resorts with the appropriate natural conditions and infrastructure. Natural resources have been used in Georgia for health care and wellness since time immemorial. Based on the diversity of this country's natural conditions, 103 sites were given the legal status of resorts, and up 200 are defined as resort areas. Still, the awareness of Georgia's capacity in this aspect is low worldwide. Due to the crisis of the 1990-s and the civil war, part of the resorts were destroyed; another part is located in the occupied territories and to date is outside the Georgian government's jurisdiction. Though the industry's recovery began in the 2000-s, the pace of the health tourism's development lags behind that of other kinds of tourism. According to the infrastructure's present condition and developmental trends, four groups of resorts can be highlighted in Georgia. In the future, upgrading of the legal framework, further development of the resorts' infrastructure, targeted diversification of tourism products, more flexible, high-quality system of services, and improved resort management will create conditions for wellness tourism advancement in Georgia, which, in turn, will establish it in the world tourism industry.