Hiking for Better Days: Sustainable Tourism to Preserve Georgia’s Aragvi Protected Landscape

Aragvi is a mountainous region in the northern part of Georgia. Back in 2020, the Aragvi Protected Landscape was established, covering nearly 100,000 hectares, making it the largest protected landscape in the country. 

The territory of the Aragvi Protected Landscape is divided into three regions: Pšavi, Khevsureti and Gudamakari. People in all regions face similar challenges, such as economic hardships and environmental issues. The main sources of livelihood in the area have traditionally been cattle and sheep farming, small-scale agriculture, forestry, and timber production. However, recent developments have made it difficult to maintain those occupations and a steady income. 

Climate change, erosion and poor infrastructure have been the main obstacles in the development of traditional businesses. Although there have been some efforts to revitalise tourism and infrastructure development in the past, the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and later by the Russian invasion in Ukraine have largely disrupted these efforts.

Finding new opportunities elsewhere 

Fewer economic opportunities have caused increased brain drain, as young people leave the region for careers in the capital of Tbilisi or, more recently, for other countries altogether. This ongoing trend endangers the prosperity of the region as development opportunities and potential investments in this area continue to decrease.

Since Georgia is a country with such a rich natural heritage and is becoming an increasingly famous tourist destination, our team is working with the Czech Development Agency and local inhabitants to revive Aragvi. We plan to build on the previous tourism development efforts and enhance the existing infrastructure in order to attract more tourists into the region and further support local businesses.

Cooperating closely with locals is key to our success

In order to make the region more accessible to hikers, we’ve marked the main tourist trails across the region and have supported the development of local businesses along this way. Our close collaboration with local people and stakeholders is key to our activities globally, and it is no different here. We always involve locals in the planning and decision-making process. Locals are also trained in trail maintenance to ensure their continued contribution to the activities and involvement in the decision-making process regarding their territory.

Our goal is to create sustainable tourism which will create more opportunities for local businesses, be it guiding and trail maintenance or selling local goods and handicrafts. We aim to create equal opportunities for marginalised groups, especially women, by involving them at all stages of trail planning, construction and maintenance. It is our hope that this small effort helps to break gender stereotypes and support women in leadership positions.

As an organisation we are concerned with climate change and take steps to limit any negative impact our activities may have on the environment. In the Aragvi Protected Landscape, we mark routes so as not to endanger sensitive ecosystems and only use natural materials to create barriers and information boards. We encourage visitors to be considerate and responsible, as well.

We cannot wait to welcome more visitors to the newly marked trails in Aragvi Protected Landscape! We will make sure to provide incoming visitors with all necessary information in order to enjoy their hikes in the beautiful Georgian mountains. Additionally, before you even foot in Aragvi Protected Landscape, visitors are more than welcome to embark on hikes on any of our other trails we helped mark in the Georgian regions of Akhalkalaki and Mtskheta-Mtianeti and the Armenian regions of Lori and Shirak. We encourage everyone to travel sustainably and be considerate towards local people and the environment. Happy trails!

Aragvi Georgia Trail

Date: Jan 8, 2025   Place: Georgia   Author: Luka Bekauri   

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