THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM BUSINESS
Authors:   Akaki Tsereteli State University, Shanidze Goderdzi 
Published: December 2023

Tourism business in Georgia is a means of stimulating the country's economy, it creates additional jobs, develops small businesses, is an important source of income for other business sectors, promotes the sale of products produced and imported in the country, and therefore, as in other countries, this sector is an important source of state income in Georgia. According to the information spread by the National Tourism Administration, in 2022, Georgia received 3.5 billion dollars in income from international travel. According to their own statement, the income received from travel in 2022 exceeded the figure of 2019 and showed a record figure of 3,516,634,479 USD, which is a recovery of the similar figure of 2019 by 107.6%. According to the data of the National Statistical Service of Georgia, in 2022, 5.4 million international non-residents travelled to Georgia, which is 2.9 times higher than the previous year. Most of the visits were made in Tbilisi at the regional level, 57.2%, followed by Adjara with 45.1% and Mtskheta-Mtianeti with 19%. From the rest of the regions, the most visits were made to Kvemo Kartli 7.9%, Samtskhe-Javakheti 7.7%, Imereti 7.5% and Kakheti 5.8%. In Georgia, in order to develop the tourism business during the pandemic and post pandemic period, it was necessary for the state to develop a systematic approach. It is worth noting that the government has shown some support in this direction and carried out the postponement of loans taken by individuals and legal entities, exempting a number of companies from taxes and establishing certain benefits, etc. The National Tourism Administration, in its turn, implemented the following activities: support of the private sector and trainings in the direction of adaptation of operations, communication with private sectors, recommendations and planning of future actions, deepening of international cooperation. The project "Work from Georgia" of the National Tourism Administration made a great contribution to the development of tourism, which meant hosting highly paid citizens of foreign countries who wish to work remotely in Georgia. This project contributed to the entry of more affluent tourists to Georgia, and what is very important, it increased the statistical stay period of travelers in Georgia compared to previous years. Tourism, like other economic sectors, needs the establishment of appropriate state policies and state support, both at the local, regional and national levels, for stable development. The development of tourism business in Georgia and the growth of incomes from this field were caused by the recognition of tourism as a priority area of the country's economy. For a country that actually has tourism potential and possesses certain competitive advantages, tourism should be one of the main pillars and priority areas of the country's development strategy. Our country really has this potential, and with the support of the state, the tourism business will become more competitive throughout the region. Conclusions 1. The state should make the population more informed about the existence of state programs promoting tourism business, so that interested people can get involved in it if they wish. 2. The state should actively take care of the arrangement of destinations and infrastructure. 3. The more the demand of foreign tourists based on the increased tourist flows will be satisfied with local products, the more stimulating it will be for the economy of our country. 4. Involvement of the state in the development of tourism business is undoubtedly necessary. 5. The development of tourism business can make a significant contribution to the solution of the country's unemployment problem and the stability of the exchange rate of the lari.