







































Georgian Geographical journal 

2021, Vol.1 (1) 18-26 

THE GEORGIAN RESORTS AS A BASIS FOR 

WELLNESS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT 

Mzia Tutberidze1 

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. 

Keywords: Georgia, health tourism, medical tourism, wellness tourism, resort, resort area.  

 

Introduction 

Georgia is positioned in the world tourist market as a country with landscape 

diversity, richness of natural resources and unique ethnic culture. Still, revealing its 

potential as a favorable place for health and wellness tourism will significantly 

expand and complement its image. 

Travel for rest and health improvement is one of the oldest types of tourism. In 

Georgia, too, natural resources have been used for health care and wellness since time 

immemorial (e.g. in Abastumani, Borjomi, Tsqaltubo, etc.); 103 out of the world's 

4000 resorts (Dracheva, 2008) are located here (namely, 44 climatic, 27 

balneological, 2 - mud treatment and 30 mixed-type resorts). By the end of the 1980-

s, Georgia was one of the Soviet Union's most significant resort regions, yielding only 

to Russia and Ukraine in the number of resorts and their carrying capacity, with its 

120 thousand beds (Recreational, 1991). Processes that took place in the following 

decade, seriously impeded tourism development, just as other economy segments. In 

 
1 Department of Human Geography, Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute of Geography, Ivane 

Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, mziatutberidze@gmail.com   



Georgian Geographical journal 

the 2000s some revival of the field began, though compared to the other types of 

tourism, health tourism is developing rather slowly. 

 

Main text 

For years, tourism for health treatment and wellness, both based on use of natural 

resources were considered one single area, since their implementation was localized 

at the resorts. 

Resorts are the basis of health and wellness tourism in any country.  The term 

“health-wellness tourism” being frequently used in Georgia during the Soviet period 

and afterwards. In Soviet balneology, the concept of health tourism rested on 18, 21 

or 24-day treatment course carried out in specialized pensions and sanatoriums.  

Some authors use the term "resort tourism" meaning a purposeful journey to a 

resort for a comprehensive health treatment and rehabilitation in specialized centers 

in the lap of nature (Baklykov, 2003). 

 

 

 
 

 

Fig.1 Interrelatedness of health, spa, wellness and medical tourism domains. 

(Tourism in Russia, 2015). 



Tutberidze M. 

The overabundance of terms (treatment tourism, health tourism, resort tourism, 

sanatorium-resort tourism, clinical tourism, medical tourism) interferes with 

customer and management's clear understanding of the existing types of tourism. 

Nowadays, the World Tourism Organization,   researchers and specialists in the 

field of “health tourism” differentiate between "medical tourism" and "wellness 

tourism", according to the tourist group’s target (https://www.unwto.org/high-level-

forum-medical-and-health-tourism). Moreover, there is a tendency to further 

segmentation. In medical tourism, for example, there are travelers that go straight to 

high-tech medical institutions to be treated by highly qualified personnel; or, the 

group that is at the crossroad of medical and wellness tourism- tourists that utilize 

natural resources (spa tourism) (Fig.1 ). In wellness tourism two groups are singled 

out; first, the tourists who choose the destination mainly for health purposes, and 

second, those who seek health maintenance and improvement independently of the 

travel destination. 

Several factors influence population's growing demand for rest and wellness: 

1. Population has changed demographic structure; 

2. Broadening of the middle class; 

3. Life acceleration and increase of stressful situations; 

4. Ecology deterioration; 

5. Popularity of wellness lifestyle; 

6. Border opening and travelling alleviation (Dracheva, 2016; Nikitina, 2012). 

As some authors point out, complex health treatment measures result in 1.7 times 

health level rise in the population. Natural factors' application increases treatment 

efficiency by 25-30percent and reduces treatment costs in hospitals and out-patient 

clinics by 10-15 percent (Nikitina 2012). 

The most rapidly developing - wellness tourism is a volatile and complicated 

segment of world tourism industry. According to the Global Wellness Institute 2017 

estimation, with US$639 bln spent, this tourism segment shows 6.5percent annual 

growth, which is twice as much as general tourism growth. In 2017, the world 

wellness tourism trips number was 830 mln, which exceeds the 2015-year figures by 

139 mln.  It is noteworthy that the secondary wellness tourism   accounts for 

89percent of trips and for 86percent of expenditures (GWI 2018). 

Generally, both domestic and international tourists spend much more for wellness 

tourism than other kinds of tourists, since the treatment a customer receives is only 

efficient when a particular course of treatment is taken, as a rule, not less than 10-14-

day long. All this makes these tourism segment customers high spenders. In 2017, 

wellness tourists spent average $1528 for one trip, which is 53percent more than a 

typical international tourist's expenditures. A domestic tourist would spend $609, 

which exceeds a typical domestic tourist's expenses by 178percent (GWI 2018). 

Noteworthy is that these expenditures are divided between several segments of 

tourism industry: accommodation, food, wellness treatment, health improvement 

procedures, sightseeing’s, shopping and other. 

Though the wellness tourism is a global phenomenon, as was already mentioned, 

it is generally localized at the resorts with appropriate natural conditions and 

infrastructure.  



Georgian Geographical journal 

Georgia's natural diversity, its healthy climate, the Black Sea coast with 

convenient beaches, abundance of hydrographic objects, over 2000 mineral springs 

of various chemical composition and different temperature, vast areas covered with 

forests, speleological objects, the abundance and variety of protected areas create the 

basis for organizing resorts with different medical profiles. The state of ecosystem 

and natural resources is of great importance for health tourism, as a nature-oriented 

field. The competitiveness of a tourist destination is based on combination of the 

existing natural conditions and quality infrastructure. That is what makes the leading 

companies in the field care so much about resource maintenance and sustainable 

development.  

In Georgia, there are certain geographic regularities that characterize territorial 

structure of different type resorts, i.e., the majority of balneological and mud-therapy 

resorts are concentrated in the intermountain lowland, while climatic and mixed-type 

resorts are on the seashores or in the mountain foothills (Neidze at al. 2017). 

In recent years, the resorts have undergone significant transformation caused by 

changes in touristic demands. Together with healthy lifestyle growing popularity, 

demand for wellness tourism increased among middle-age population who prefer 

active rest and are short of time. During last 25 years, traditional sanatorium treatment 

of advanced age customers was substituted by wellness procedures fit for vast groups 

of customers. Therefore, a traditional resort nowadays is not just a resting place for 

the senior population but rather a multifunctional wellness center designed for vast 

groups of population with various demands that functions round the year. 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 
     Fig.2 Resort Tsqaltubo (photo by M.Tutberidze). 

 

The paradigm of sanatorium-resort service has changed in accordance with today's 

demands, and "hospital" service has been substituted by the treatment aimed at 

general health maintenance and improvement, with the increasing demand for 

complete rest and wellness. 



Tutberidze M. 

Transition from government-subsidized operating to self-financing in the post-

Soviet space (Georgia included) is yet another reason of the resorts' transformation. 

Prior to the collapse of communist regime, the state-run resorts were subsidized from 

the state budget and other non-centralized sources. Nowadays resorts management 

seek to diversify the products offered in order to attract new investments. To this 

intent, while maintaining the resort's curative functions, management organizes 

cultural and sport events, various health improvement and wellness procedures (anti-

cellulite, anti-stress, phito-rejuvenation programs, and cosmetology). 

 
Fig. 3. Greenhouses in the resort Tsaishi, which utilize local thermal mineral waters 

(photo by M. Tutberidze). 

The very basic forms of resort service have changed as well: instead of pensions 

and sanatoriums with their medically trained personnel there are hotels of all kinds, 

where people with health problems live side by side with regular guests of different 

age, while medical treatment can be obtained at adjacent outpatient clinics, medical 

centers, balneal service centers or baths. There one can get all necessary information 

and recommendations regarding usage of resort resources for medical purposes (such 

service pattern was implied at a popular resort of Tsqaltubo since 1930-s). The 

majority of Georgian resorts face many problems nowadays. Resort infrastructure 

was partially destroyed in this country during the crisis of the 1990-s and the civil 

war. Refugees from the territories occupied by Russia were accommodated in what 

remained of buildings that used to comprise a luxury resort, which resulted in their 

further amortization. Restoration of the tourist objects infrastructure began in the 

2000s. Partially, the accommodation capacity of old resorts was restored; at the same 

time, new buildings for tourist accommodation are under construction (map). The 

Georgian resorts can be subdivided into several categories, according to the state of 

preservation of their infrastructure (with the exception of those in the territory of 

Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region that are temporarily outside Georgian jurisdiction): 



Georgian Geographical journal 

 



Tutberidze M. 

1.The resorts where after the economic crisis of the 90-s  the hotel infrastructure 

was restored, renovated and advanced and that nowadays work full power - 

approximately  25 of them, such as the Black Sea resorts, Tbilisi and its suburban 

resorts and resorts of Borjomi group as well as Sairme and Tsqaltubo resorts. 

2. Resorts with the partially restored hotel infrastructure, those where restoration 

process continues, and those that have opportunities for development. There are about 

15 such resorts, among them – Abastumani that is rapidly developing, due to both 

governmental and private investments; Bakhmaro, which is successfully developing, 

in accordance with the approved general plan; Ujarma and Nunisi have attracted 

attention of private investors. 

3. Resorts that accommodate guests only periodically, mainly during tourist 

season. Their hotel infrastructure is of a low quality as a rule, and the only customers 

are local population. There are ten such resorts, namely, Sulori, Bugeuli, Torghva 

bath, Lashichala. 

4. Resorts with completely destroyed hotel infrastructure whose restoration is not 

planned for the nearest future, while their natural resources, such as mineral water is 

utilized for other purposes (as in Tsaishi and Menji, for example - in greenhouses). 

This  group is most numerous (up to 30 resorts) and includes such well-known for 

Georgian population sites as Menji, Tsaishi, Nabeghlavi, Zvare, Zekari, Skuri, 

Lebarde and others.According to the data of the Georgian National Tourism 

Administration at the beginning of 2020 which we completed during our field 

research, total accommodation capacity of the Georgian resorts (excluding Abkhazia 

and Tskhinvali region), approximates 75 thousand beds which is significantly less 

than the maximum rate of the 80-s (almost 40 percent). However, today this amount 

represents 75 percent of the total carrying capacity in this country which in our 

opinion indicates the degree of attractiveness of the resorts. The accommodation 

capacity’s 69.3percent belongs to hotels, 12.6percent to family houses. Besides, there 

are guest houses, hostels, etc. In Tsemi, Shekvetili and Tsqaltubo only 4 sanatoriums 

are left, with the total accommodation capacity of 500 bed-places. Just as expected, 

the largest concentration of accommodation capacity is in Tbilisi (the capital and a 

balneological resort at the time)-25.2 thousand beds, with Batumi and Bakuriani as 

co-runners lagging significantly behind (14.1 thousand and 10.0 thousand beds 

consequently). These figures, however, do not reflect the real situation at the resorts. 

The data base is volatile and incomplete. It should also be noted that vacationers at 

resorts actively use private housing stock. 

An important issue is that of determining whether certain resorts were 

appropriately given this status, for it necessarily implies the existence of 

infrastructure, along with natural resources. At the same time, some resort areas 

(defined by the law as an area containing natural healing resources, suitable for 

targeted exploitation and not   having relevant buildings) fully meet the requirements 

for a resort and have long functioned as such (Gonio, Kvariati, Chakvi, Shekvetili, 

Sioni and other) (Neidze at al. 2017). Total carrying capacity of such sites exceeds 7 

thousand bed-place. Mountain ski centers, such as Gudauri, Tetnuldi, Goderdzi have 

significant wellness potential. Gudauri stands out for its accommodation capacity (up 

to three thousand beds). 



Georgian Geographical journal 

Regarding public demand for the wellness tourism, it should be noted that the 

population of Georgia that has a long tradition of recreation and treatment at the 

domestic resorts, due to infrastructure malfunctioning and low solvency, prefers 

vacations with rural relatives or in villages, there are from. Thus, in case quality and 

to the budget tour product is offered, Georgian population is prepared to go to local 

resorts.  According to the National Tourism Administration research, in 2019 only 

8.8 percent of the tourists - this country's citizens traveled for health treatment and 

wellness purposes (10.3percent  in 2015),  and 9.7 percent traveled for entertainment, 

rest and recreation (in 2015- 7,6percent). 

In regard of the inbound tourism, the lack of information about Georgian resorts 

in the international market, together with low level of infrastructure competitiveness 

is a major   hindrance. In 2019, only 1.8percent of foreign tourists came to Georgia 

for health rehabilitation and wellness purposes. The amount of those coming for rest, 

entertainment and recreation has risen for 11, 6 percent in comparison with 2015 and 

makes 43,0percent of travelers (https://gnta.ge/statistics). 

Assessing the current state of resorts, we cannot ignore the coronavirus pandemic, 

which has hampered economy development, tourism industry including, worldwide. 

International tourist arrivals were down 56percent globally from January to March, 

compared to 2019, according to the UN's World Tourism Organization 

(Ihttps://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09). It is too early to try to assess all the 

consequences of the pandemic. However, the impressive advancement of tourism, 

Georgia has achieved in recent years is at stake. Currently, when part of the resort 

accommodation capacity is used for quarantine purposes, only domestic tourism is 

allowed, in accordance with special regulations. After the end of the pandemic, the 

demand for health tourism is likely to increase. 

Georgia's natural conditions and developing resort economy make it possible that 

wellness tourism become a priority kind of tourism, which, systematically, will attract 

high-spending tourists to the country. 

 

Conclusion 

1 The legal framework has to be changed, and the list of resorts and resort areas 

approved by the government decree needs to be revised; 

2. Infrastructure development in Georgian resorts and further diversification of 

tourism products will attract to the country wellness tourism consumers; 

3. Since wellness tourism is available almost all year round, it will alleviate the 

seasonality of the resorts; 

4. Insurance companies and public sector of the economy should be actively 

involved, in order to meet the needs of the population in health tourism, considering 

economic opportunities of the Georgian population; 

5. The quality of the services rendered should be brought into correlation with the 

fees charged. Besides, there is lack of qualified personnel; 

6. The resort management system has to be improved, for which certain measures 

are being implemented.  

 
 



Tutberidze M. 

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