Georgian hotels get ready for tourist season amid uncertainty

The Georgian authorities have set operation rules for hotels and restaurants, but the entry conditions for holidaymakers and tourist routes have not yet been defined. The new rules assume additional costs, but not all hotels can bear them.

The authorities have announced the opening of domestic tourism since June 15 and the restart of the international one since July 1. Tourist entrepreneurs are happy; however, many issues of working amid coronavirus are unclear; the hotel and hostel owners in Adjara interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" assert. Some of them are afraid that the season is actually disrupted.

"It's unknown where and how foreigners will rest – whether they'll be able to visit all the sights freely, or a certain zone will be allocated for them in order to reduce their contacts with local residents," a source from a Tbilisi travel operator said.

Foreign partners of his company are wondering whether a COVID-19 passport for tourists will be introduced. It is also unclear tourists from which countries will be able to come to Georgia – some countries have closed their borders for exit, while Georgia is not accepting people from some of them.

The hotels wishing to accept guests will have to pass an examination and obtain a respective license.