Tourism in Georgia: Historical and Cultural Attractions

Explore the historical and cultural attractions of Georgia with our six-day tour plan. Visit the Sameba Cathedral, Anacopia fortress, Uplistsikhe Cave Town, Vardzia cave monastery, and more. Learn about the country's rich heritage and unique features.

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Tourism in Georgia
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TOURISM IN GEORGIA
Introduction
There are exciting and beautiful things to do in Georgia. There are numerous
historical sites and cultural activities to explore in the list of local attractions in Georgia. The
plan below shows a six day list of tourist attractions visited, the amount, the cultural
attractions sites and the historical sites. The ministry of tourism in Georgia encourages people
to visit and discover places with unique features and the best things to do in the places.
Highlights of Georgia includes top attractions to visit historical monuments, natural
attractions, entertainment activities to do and adventures to undertake. There are also places
to eat and drink like hotels and resorts. There are also activities like photo sessions, photos
for traveler and more. Georgia is a country of so many contrasts (Cappucci, Pavliashvili, &
Zarrilli, 2015). This makes it a special and appealing place especially to visit. Big hotels and
resorts that have been operating in Georgia have been in operations for many decades. The
attractions that brings people to tour Georgia range from its mountainous features to natural
landscapes like the Okefenokee Swamp and the romantic antebellum squires of savannah.
There is also the dazzling modern and old architecture of the country.
As far as tourism is concerned, Georgia has never featured much in that discussion.
Most of the itineraries of tourist are filled with top tourist attractions that ranges from France,
Egypt, African safaris and the Middle East. This quite country that lies in the lap of Eastern
Europe and the Caucus mountains and a host of famous tourist attraction sites. Traditional
and modern environments give a fascinating experience to the tourists (Davies, 2015). The
country attracts more than two million tourists a year with a majority of them spending most
of their time in the beautiful city of Tbilisi. There are also a host of unexplored places and
tourists attractions. Here is a full tour plan for the six day tour.

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Day 1- The sameba cathedral
The Sameba cathedral appears as a medieval structure although it is a very modern creation
located in Tbilisi. It was finished in the year 2004 and is a holy place for the Orthodox
Church in Eastern Georgia. It is located in the capital Tbilisi. The building was inspired by a
blend of various schools of architecture and sports a very traditional and medieval look. A
very educative place which houses nine chapels many of which are located in the
underground of the beautiful building. It teaches a lot concerning culture, heritage and
religion. The Sameba cathedral is one of the principal destination for the city. The Tusheti
national park is also a very beautiful place that we visited in our first day. This is the historic
home for the Tush people and is also a breathtaking place for extreme sport for tourists. It is
big on relief and made up of largely soaring peaks and hills on a well clad grass. Very few
roads in site and many historical villages can be found in the misty mountain tops which are
historic. There are brick built affairs like the Darlto which can be seen protruding from the
Georgian lands encompassed in rural sheep farms. The region is known for its cheeses and
wool and swathes of spruce forests. We came to Georgia from Barnaul, they had their own
travel company at home, but the crisis forced them to open new horizons For several years,
the Pavlovs have built a stable business - a travel company in Georgia. How they did it and
why they chose our country, they told Sputnik in the project Georgia through the eyes of
foreigners. One summer day arrived on vacation in Georgia. Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Sighnaghi ...
And now they are fascinated by the country, its culture, traditions and nature (Erkomaishvili,
Gvelesiani, & Chavleishvili, 2014).
Day 2- Tour of the fortress of Anacopia
The fortress of Anacopia is an ancient citadel used by the military dating back to the
second century. When we visited it had attracted a lot of tourists and had the capacity to have

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more than 1000 people at a go. Located on the Iverian Mountains in new athos, it is built to
block an invasion of their enemies then who were Islamists. A very important tourist
attraction with historical value and a major foreign exchange earner for the Georgian
government. In later years, it lost its tactical importance it remained to be a significant
cultural icon to the region and the country. As a very old historical site, it can be remembered
that in the eighth century, Leon 1 of Abkhazia defended it against a siege laid by the tough
Marwan of the Umayyad caliphate (Maple, 2016). The day 2 was very good and had a lot of
fun. We slept in the widely known Hilton hotel in Georgian capital and we were treated like
kings. Their service make more and more tourists to come in the country. I remember we are
sitting in a cafe in Sighnaghi, sheltered from the summer heat. Alazansky valley stretches in
front of us. The sun is high in the sky. In the distance you can see powerful mountains, from
which it really blows cool. Relaxing atmosphere, isn't it? And then I wanted to share this
thought with, looked at him and realized that he was not at all relaxed. Some violent thought
processes were taking place in his head.
Yegor confirmed that at that time he was considering possible options for the development of
business in Georgia. At that time, the Pavlovs had their own travel agency in Barnaul (Altai
Krai). However, it was 2014, many Russian travel agencies had many difficulties due to the
crisis. The Pavlovs did not avoid this problem. Spouses were at a loss.
Day 3- Uplistsikhe Cave Town
We visited the cave town which literally means the lord fortress. A cite to behold and
an ancient town made of rocks. It is build and stands elegantly on the banks of Mktvari River
and several structures which trace back to the origin of the iron age. It was once a known as
the epitome of Christian culture in Georgia although the cite was abandoned later in the

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following years (Gerzmava, & Tegetashvili, 2016). Severe damages were done in 1920 due to
an earthquake that hit Georgia where some parts were completely destroyed. Although it is
not as abundant in decorations as some of the historical sites with famous caves. It is an
example of what human willpower can achieve.
On that day, in Sighnaghi, for the first time I had the idea of moving to Georgia.
Confused, foggy, completely unclear. Even the thought was not about moving, but about the
great tourist prospects of this country. Pavlovs considered the possibility of moving to
another country (Horner, and Swarbrooke, 2016). However, there were many difficulties and
unclear issues. In the first place, associated with the revenue side. There are a lot of countries
where you can move. But what to do there? What to live in? How to adapt in a society, where
is the new language and culture? It was scary and incomprehensible.
The situation became more and more heated. Travel Company Pavlovs practically
ceased to give income. The lion's share of ticket sales accounted for early booking in
February, March and September. However, for example, in February only two trips to Spain
were booked, while at the same time in 2013 there were about 50 trips. The same thing
happened in other directions. It was necessary to decide what to do. Once we thought about
moving, it was necessary to understand where to go and start working in this direction. Either
give up empty dreams and get involved in business. There were many options, but the
Pavlovs settled on Georgia. Even then it was clear that the country is gaining popularity as a
tourist destination. This is especially true for Russia (Meladze, 2016). I understood that
Georgia is becoming a recognizable brand. Every year, more and more people will come
here. Then I remembered that hot day in Signage and my vague thoughts about moving to
Georgia. In general, I made inquiries, found out what was needed to move and start a
business, talked to some people via the Internet on this topic and sat down with my wife to
decide: are we moving or not.

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After weighing all the pros and cons, the Pavlovs decided: "We must move!". The main
argument in favor of this decision was the ability to easily open your business. An important
factor was the diversity of nature and culture of Georgia. It is important for a travel agency to
sell a good product. Georgia turned out to be a friendly country for immigrants. " They
studied the history of Georgia, worked as guides and drove tours of the cities (Paresashvili,
2014). At the same time, they managed to engage in the site and promote it on the market. At
some point we came to the conclusion that we are better engaged in promotion and
organization than working in the fields.
Day 4 - A tour of Vardzia
A tour of Vardzia which is a cave monastery which is located on the banks of river
Kura and the Erushati Mountain. Build in the beginning of the 12th century, it was abandoned
after some time and has since turned out to me a main tourist attraction site with historical
values. There are more than four hundred rooms which housed the church of Dormition and
is much known for the wall paintings. Here again began to arise difficulties (South
Australian Tourism Commission , 2014). It was necessary to look for workers. The most
important component of such work, when guides and drivers represent your face, is to find
the right people. It's not just about qualifying, but it's important that your team shares your
views .How were people found? Yes, very simply! For example, I met our driver Legume in
Cachet. I saw a good minibus, went to the driver Georgia is launching a new tourism project
“Curia’s Tea Route which provides for the development of agro-tourism in the country, the
mayor’s office. Tourists will be shown tea plantations in Georgia, as well as acquaint them
with the process of production and consumption of natural Georgian tea. Georgian natural tea

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is popular with both Georgian and foreign consumers, especially among people from the
countries of the former Soviet Union (Veal, 2017).
He alone collected the contacts of hotels, guides and drivers, compiled routes and
worked on the creation of tours. At this time, Anastasia was engaged in the development of
the site and content. From the very beginning. They decided to show "Classic Georgia" to
tourists. People who are unfamiliar with the culture and traditions of the country are traveling
to our country so far. It is important not to try to identify and offer the super-mega way a
special route to the tourist, but to show Georgia as it is. Especially in the country there are a
lot of important cultural and historical objects that are interesting to visitors. First, in the first
year, they themselves worked in the fields.
If you look at the map of the world, you can see that Georgia is a small country with a
strategically advantageous location, located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. But
what is the best way to describe Georgia. The country is often featured in international
television programs, for example, such as the CNN program. Nine reasons to visit Georgia,
New York Times - 52 places to visit in 2015, National Geographic
Day 5- Tour of an exhibition
The Georgian National Tourism Administration took part in the exhibition, where more than
a thousand travel companies from 60 countries of the world were represented. We visited an
exhibition in Georgia. For the guests of the exhibition, the National Tourism Administration
of Georgia held a special presentation and display of an image video about Georgia. In
addition, visitors to the event had the opportunity to taste Georgian wine.
During the exhibition, representatives of the Tourism Administration held bilateral meetings
with leading Israeli travel companies. The event featured over a thousand travel companies

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from 60 countries (Voll, & Mosedale, 2015). The exhibition was visited by more than 20
thousand visitors. Israel is an important destination for Georgia. According to statistics, in
January 2017, Georgia was visited by 1.7 thousand visitors from Israel. The growth compared
to the same period last year is 83.3%.
During the formation of the strategy, interviews were conducted with major public
opinion leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as with representatives of the
authorities. Consultations with specialists of the tourism industry aimed at identifying the
main problems in the field of tourism development and prioritizing the ideas proposed for
their solution, as well as preparing action plans for the implementation of these ideas.
Day 6 sample of the best heritage areas in Georgia
A lot of books and guidebooks have been written about the cultural heritage of
Georgia, its nature and cuisine (especially wines) - they all invite to visit the country located
on the site of the ancient Colchis. Travel agencies lure potential tourists with their offers,
offering profitable and convenient airlines and routes, advising which hotels are the best to
stay in, which routes to choose, and which places to visit - both in the famous mountainous
regions of Georgia and in its valleys (Yfantidou, & Matarazzo, 2017). Perhaps best of all, the
country is described by the slogan “Georgia is a country of life”, invented by the National
Tourism Administration of Georgia (NTA) and depicted on a variety of souvenirs and tourist
goods.
Therefore, it is a little strange that the long-term strategy for the development of the
tourism industry has appeared in Georgia only now. For many years, the country certainly
had a vision for the development of this industry, but there was no clear and well-developed
strategy for implementing and monitoring results. However, from these data it follows that
the average cost per tourist (about $ 74 per day) is lower than the average in the world. To

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increase tourism spending, you can explore such opportunities as: developing more
diversified high-quality tourism products, enriching the experience of tourists, and improving
the quality of servants.
Finally, this will allow the country to become a world-class tourist destination, stimulating
growth in international demand outside Georgia’s neighboring countries (Yfantidou, et al,
2018).
It included interviews with key public opinion leaders from the public and private
sectors and government officials, as well as workshops with a wide range of industry experts
who aimed to identify the main problems in the field of tourism development; collection,
clarification and prioritization of proposals for their decision; preparation of draft action plans
for the implementation of the ideas put forward. ” By 2025, Georgia is expected to become
widely known as one of the leading year-round high-quality tourist destinations, which will
develop on the basis of the country's unique cultural and natural heritage, providing world-
class services to its clients, as well as the age-old traditions of Georgian hospitality. Thanks
to strategic investments in infrastructure, education and marketing, as well as the acquisition
of unique experience by tourists coming to Georgia, which is attractive for high value-added
services markets all over the world, Georgia will become one of the leading countries in the
tourism business.

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