The Impact of Digital Technologies on the Development of Rural Tourism in Georgia

Abstract

In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 and the associated pandemic proved to be the biggest devastating factor for all areas. The pandemic has had a major economic impact on international tourism. In 2020-2021, the tourism industry has lost hundreds of billions of dollars and millions of jobs. To overcome the crisis, anti-epidemic measures were implemented in many countries, which accelerated the transformation of world tourism, resulting in increased demand for domestic tourism and rural tourism. The article discusses the changes in the tourism sector of Georgia caused by the pandemic: a) the growing demand for domestic and rural tourism, b) the acceleration of digitalization processes.

One of the important branches of the world economy is rural tourism and agro tourism complex, which largely determines the employment of the population and the growth of income in tourist regions. During the pandemic, the lack of a full-fledged information service turned out to be an obstacle for consumers of domestic and rural tourism services in Georgia. Technical progress and extensive use of the Internet have created the so-called New Economy. Digitization has become a global trend, which by itself has led to the introduction of digital technologies in the tourism industry. Modern tourism requires the activation of digitization processes, which ensures the development of tourist products. The research confirmed that the active penetration of digital technologies in the field of tourism in Georgia will contribute to the development of domestic and rural tourism in the country.