Assisting Sustainable Tourism in Georgia

UNDP, GEF, and CNF help introduce new visitors’ services in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park

June 9, 2021

Georgia's iconic Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park is expanding its tourist services with a 32-kilometre-long trail that connects the Akhaldaba and Nedzvi villages with the Didi Karta and Shuano mountains. The trail offers visitors panoramic views of the Nedzvi Managed Reserve, the Mtkvari River and historical sites such as the ninth-century Tamar’s Castle. Tourists can follow the trail’s international system of hiking markers for the day, stay at either a modern camping site or a new tourist cottage, and avail themselves of other infrastructure — all of which comply with ecotourism standards.

The Agency of Protected Areas built the trail with GEL230,000 in funding from UNDP, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Caucasus Nature Fund (GEF). This support draws on a broader programme to help Georgia improve the sustainable management of its twelve largest protected areas: Algeti National Park, Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Javakheti National Park, Kazbegi National Park, Kintrishi Protected Areas, Lagodekhi Protected Areas, Machakhela National Park, Mtirala National Park, Pshav-Khevsureti Protected Areas, Tusheti Protected Areas, Tusheti Protected Landscape and Vashlovani Protected Areas.

Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili, UNDP Acting Resident Representative in Georgia, Anna Chernyshova, and Executive Director of the Caucasus Nature Fund, Tobias Muenchmeyer visited the tourist trail on 8 June.

“A new hiking trail in the Borjomi-Kharagauli Protected Areas is located at 2,000 m above sea level. It will attract visitors interested in exploring ecotourism opportunities and fascinated by the beauty of Georgia's nature,” Davitashvili said. “Ecotourism development and rehabilitation of hiking trails are important for Georgia’s economy. In 2020, even during the pandemic lockdown, the Ministry rehabilitated 200 kilometres of ecotourism trails in protected areas. 1,200-kilometre-long hiking trails will be rehabilitated in the next three years.”

“Travel restrictions and lack of tourist activities over the last year had environmental benefits and reduced pressure on rivers, forests and other ecosystems,” Chernyshova said. “As economic and tourist activities come back, we need to ensure that they develop sustainably and benefit the economy, people, and the environment.”

Background:

UNDP has been assisting Georgia in reforming and developing its system of protected areas for over a decade. With funds from the Global Environment Facility and the Government of Sweden, UNDP has been working with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the Agency of Protected Areas, educational institutions, local authorities and communities to help introduce development strategies for protected areas, improve their management and financial sustainability, train and equip park rangers, promote ecotourism, develop tourist infrastructure and carry out public outreach campaigns.