Is Tourism the Beginning or the End? Livelihoods of Georgian Mountain People at Stake

Abstract

This study is an attempt to empirically understand the transformation of rooted livelihoods after the arrival of tourism in the Greater Caucasus. A case-specific methodology combining qualitative and geographic information methods enabled us to identify 4 types of tourism-led livelihood change: (1) expanding nonagricultural activities; (2) reducing agricultural activities; (3) developing agritourism activities; and (4) increasing agricultural activities. Broad spatial coverage ensured that the data collected were representative. The findings indicate that although tourism growth has increased the need for supplementary services, only a few local residents have managed to develop tourism-related nonagricultural activities. We argue that mountain residents see opportunities from tourism mainly in agriculture and hosting tourists. However, relatively few of them actually expanded their agricultural activities in response to tourism's increased demand for agricultural products, as several barriers (lack of human resources, modern technology, and finances) hindered other residents from taking this opportunity. As our study reveals, households with traditional livelihoods most often replaced their agricultural activities, investing all their resources in developing tourism-related livelihoods instead. Others created added value from their integrated agriculture- and tourism-based livelihoods by providing visitors with locally made products. In addition to these findings on trends in livelihood changes, the study also provides an understanding of households' economic priorities. We hope the new insights surrounding tourism-led livelihood shifts will spark a debate on how people cope with the rapid spread of tourism in the Georgian mountains.

Keywords

• greater caucasus
• livelihood strategies
• mountain farming
• mountainous georgia
• nonagricultural livelihoods
• tourism-led transformation