







































Georgian Geographical Journal 

 

Evaluation of Tourist-recreational 

Resources in the Background of Climate 

Change in Georgia 
Liana Kartvelishvili1,3* , Avtandil Amiranashvili2 , Lika 

Megrelidze3 , Lashari Kurdashvili4  
1 Georgian Technical University, Institute of Hydrometeorology 
2 

Institute of Geophysics
 

3 
National Environmental Agency of Georgia 

4 
Assistant Professor, European University. Georgia

 

* Corresponding author: liana.kartvelishvili@nea.gov.ge 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction 

The dynamism and sustainability of the tourism industry are inherently linked to the geographical 

location, topography, vegetation, weather, and climate of a region (Becken, 2017). Among these factors, 

weather and climate are particularly significant, as they constitute the primary determinants of a region’s 

bioclimatic resources, which are essential for the planning, organization, and development of the resort 

and tourism sector (Mieczkowski, 1985; Scott et al., 2012). Climate exerts both direct and indirect 

influences on tourism, shaping the attractiveness of destinations and affecting tourist flows and activity 

patterns (Amelung et al., 2007). 

Adverse climatic conditions and climate variability can significantly alter tourism demand, 

influencing seasonal patterns and the distribution of visitor flows (Hall & Higham, 2005). Such changes 

have cascading effects on related sectors, making the understanding of tourism seasonality crucial for 

sustainable destination management. Investigating the seasonality of tourism enables researchers and 

planners to quantify the influence of natural-climatic conditions on tourism product formation, identify 

Georgian Geographical Journal, 2025, 5(2) 36-40 

© The Author(s) 202 

 
This article is an open access article distributed under 

the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons 

Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// 

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 

DOI: 

https://journals.4science.ge/index.php/GGJ 

Abstract 

Environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources 

represent some of the most pressing challenges of the modern era. Effective 

decision-making in both ecological and economic contexts is increasingly 

dependent on an accurate understanding of environmental conditions. Key 

drivers of environmental degradation include the decline of biosphere 

components and biodiversity, climate change, and the intensification of 

damages caused by natural disasters. Recognizing these challenges, the World 

Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Tourism Organization 

(WTO) have emphasized the need to integrate climate change considerations 

into the evaluation of tourism and recreational resources. As a full member of 

both organizations since the 1990s, Georgia is required to assess its tourism 

potential in light of changing climatic conditions. This study examines the 

impacts of climate and climate change on the development of the tourism 

sector in Georgia, with a particular focus on mountain and ski tourism. For 

the first time, several Tourism Climatic Indexes were applied to evaluate 

recreational resources by integrating diverse meteorological parameters. The 

findings highlight the importance of incorporating climatic variability into 

tourism planning and tour design across different climatic zones, particularly 

in relation to the risks posed by negative climatic events. Furthermore, long-

term changes in snow cover duration were analyzed across multiple mountain 

and ski resorts by comparing two time periods (1961–1985 and 1986–2015). 

The results underscore the critical need for climate-informed strategies to 

ensure the sustainable development of Georgia’s tourism sector under 

changing environmental conditions. 

Keywords: Climate change, Tourism Climatic Index, Glacier recession, 

World Tourism Organization (WTO), Natural resources, Tourism industry 

Citation: Kartvelishvili, L.; Amiranashvili, 
A.; Megrelidze, L.; Kurdashvili, L. 

Evaluation of Tourist-recreational 

Resources in the Background of Climate 
Change in Georgia. Georgian 
Geographical Journal 2025, 5(2), 36-40. 

https://doi.org/10.52340/ggj.2025.05.02.06 



Kartvelishvili et al. 2025 5(2) 

37 
 

key drivers of seasonal variation, and develop targeted strategies to mitigate seasonal inequalities 

(Peeters, 2017). Thus, the study of bioclimatic resources and climate-induced seasonality represents a 

fundamental aspect of modern tourism research, particularly in the context of climate change and 

evolving tourist preferences. 

Methods and Materials 

Climatic indices have long been employed to assess the suitability of tourism and recreational 

resources. To date, over 200 climate indices have been developed. Broadly, tourism climate indices can 

be classified into three main categories. Among these, elementary indices synthesize values from 

several meteorological parameters; however, they generally lack biometeorological information, which 

limits their applicability for evaluating tourism and recreational resources comprehensively. 

To evaluate tourism-recreational resources in Georgia for the first time, the Tourism Climatic Index 

(TCI) (Kartvelishvili et al., 2023) was applied. The TCI integrates multiple meteorological parameters, 

including air temperature, atmospheric precipitation, relative humidity, and the average duration of 

sunshine, thus providing a composite measure of climatic suitability for tourism. The TCI enables the 

identification of tourism resource potential across different seasons and months and allows for the 

calculation of annual values. Nevertheless, the TCI does not fully incorporate the thermophysiological 

component essential for a comprehensive assessment of tourism comfort and demand. 

To address these limitations and to better examine the impacts of climate change on tourism 

development, the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) was adopted in this study. The HCI is a more complex 

climatic index that incorporates a broader range of meteorological variables. Its development 

specifically addresses the deficiencies identified in the TCI, taking into account that different 

destinations require tailored climate information for diverse tourism segments, notably urban and mass 

tourism. 

The HCI incorporates five key climatic variables: maximum air temperature (T_max, °C), relative 

humidity (RH), cloud cover (A), precipitation (R_d, mm), and wind speed (W, m/s). The combination 

of air temperature and relative humidity is expressed as the effective air temperature (T), calculated 

using a specialized nomogram (Japaridze & Khazaradze, 2019). The HCI is defined as: 

HCI=4×T+2×A+3×Rd+W           (1) 

Unlike most other climate indices, HCI values are expressed in points, allowing for a standardized 

evaluation of climatic conditions for tourism (Table 1). This framework enables a more nuanced 

assessment of tourism climates, providing a robust basis for both seasonal and annual planning in the 

tourism sector. 

 

Table 1. HCI Categories and Rating 

HCI Score Rating Category 

90 – 100 1 Ideal 

80 – 89 2 Excellent 

70 – 79 3 Very good 

60 – 69 4 Good 

50 – 59 5 Acceptable 

40 – 49 6 Marginal 

30 – 39 7 Very unfavorable 

20 – 29 8 Extremely unfavorable 

10 – 19 9 Impossible 

- 30 – 9 10 Impossible 

 

 

 



Kartvelishvili et al. 2025 5(2) 

38 
 

Results 

Georgia’s unique geographical location, complex and highly dissected relief, diverse land cover, and 

specific climatic conditions result in the presence of nearly every type of climatic zone within its 

territory. This diversity makes Georgia particularly suitable for assessing the spatial and temporal 

distribution of tourism climates. Accordingly, the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) was analyzed across 

various locations in Georgia to determine its monthly distribution patterns (Fig. 1). 

In Mestia, monthly HCI values recorded between 1956 and 2015 ranged from 34 (classified as 

“Unfavourable” in January) to 95 (classified as “Ideal” in September–October). The average monthly 

values over the entire observation period varied from 56.2 (“Pleasant” category in January) to 83.5 

(“Excellent” category in August). 

 

Analysis of the long-term trend in average monthly HCI values for Mestia revealed an overall negative 

tendency (Fig. 2). Specifically, a significant linear decrease in HCI values was observed for January, 

July, August, and December, as well as during both the cold and warm seasons of the year. These trends 

Figure 1. The distribution of the Holiday Climatic Index of rest according to the months 

Figure 2. Average monthly values of HCI over the three observation periods 



Kartvelishvili et al. 2025 5(2) 

39 
 

suggest a gradual deterioration of bioclimatic conditions favourable for tourism in certain periods, 

which may have implications for the seasonal planning of tourism activities in the region. 

To address the limitations of the Tourism Climatic Index (TCI), the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) was 

developed. According to its authors, the HCI provides a more representative assessment of the climatic 

suitability of a given area for tourism activities. The term “holiday” was purposefully chosen to reflect 

the index’s specific focus on leisure tourism, distinguishing it from the broader concept of tourism, 

which is defined as: “a social, cultural, and economic phenomenon involving the movement of people 

between countries and places outside their normal environment for personal or business/professional 

purposes” (Amiranashvili et al., 2022). 

A notable advancement of the HCI lies in its well-defined rating scale variables and the component 

weighting system. These features allow for a more nuanced and accurate evaluation of climatic 

conditions, thereby improving the capacity to assess tourism potential across different destinations and 

time periods. 

Conclusion 

The analysis indicates that the projected climate change in Georgia is unlikely to exert a significant 

impact on its tourism bioclimatic resources. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the bioclimatic 

conditions in Georgia have remained relatively stable, with only minor changes in the Holiday Climate 

Index (HCI), corresponding to a one-step variation in category, either upward or downward. 

To enhance the resort and tourism potential of the country, it is essential to conduct a more focused 

and differentiated assessment of bioclimatic conditions. Such an approach would involve detailed 

studies of the bioclimatic resources of specific territories, enabling their optimal utilization for different 

types of tourism and diverse target groups. 

Improving the quality and attractiveness of the resort and tourism industry requires systematic 

research aimed at understanding the spatial distribution of bioclimatic resources. This will support 

informed planning and development strategies, thereby maximizing the potential of Georgia’s natural 

resources for sustainable tourism growth. 

Competing interests 

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. 

Authors’ contribution 

All authors provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis and manuscript. 

ORCID iD 

Liana Kartvelishvili https://orcid.org/ 0009-0007-6836-9313 

Avtandil Amiranashvili https://orcid.org/ 0000-0001-6152-2214 

Lika Megrelidze https://orcid.org/ 0009-0006-0436-1489 

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