Exploring Residents’ Perceptions towards Tourism Development—A Case Study of the Adjara Mountain Area

Giorgi Gogitidze, Nana Nadareishvili, Rezhen Harun (), Iulia D. Arion and Iulia C. Muresan ()
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Giorgi Gogitidze: Faculty of Business Technologies, Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, 77 Kostava Street, Tbilisi 0171, Georgia
Nana Nadareishvili: Faculty of Business Technologies, Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, 77 Kostava Street, Tbilisi 0171, Georgia
Rezhen Harun: Department of Agribusiness and Rural Development, College of Agricultural Sciences Engineering, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani 5100, Iraq
Iulia D. Arion: Department of Forestry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3–5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Iulia C. Muresan: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3–5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Tourism development involves both positive and negative impacts on economic, social and natural environments, which represent essential pillars for sustainable development. It is in this context that the present research was conducted in the Adjara Mountain area of Georgia aiming to identify residents’ perception towards tourism development. An online survey was conducted among 620 residents. The data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics and principal component analysis. As such, the results of the principal component analysis led to a two-factor solution: “positive effects” and “negative effects”. Older and more educated respondents perceived the impacts of tourism development more positively compared to the younger group and to the less educated one. A statistically significant difference was found between females and males regarding their perception of the positive impacts of tourism development. The study represents a first step in investigating the residents’ perception towards tourism development in the Adjara Mountain region, and the results could constitute a starting point for future tourism strategies in the area.

Keywords: tourism impacts; sustainable tourism development; local community perceptions; mountain tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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