Georgian guides demand that the government to introduce certain rules in the market and held a rally near the National Tourism Administration.
They believe that all the guide-operators in Georgia should have the citizenship of Georgia and know the state language at the B2 level. Guides complain that foreigners who come to Georgia work in the tourism industry and serve visitors.
Apart from the problem with the state language, foreign guides misinform tourists about the history and modernity of Georgia, including the occupation.
According to Director of the travel company BB Travel Alexander Giorgidze, Georgian citizens working in the tourism market for 10-15 years face unequal competition with people from other countries.
“These people have ties with their country, they are not registered in Georgia, do not pay taxes. They say that we are afraid of competition, but the problem is that the competition is unequal,” he points out.
Safety of tourists can’t be also ensured as foreigners don’t know the state language even at a minimal level.
“A guide is an impromptu profession, he has to decide many things on the spot. Knowledge of the language at some level is necessary while the draft law, which is currently under consideration, does not include this item," Alexander Giorgidze notes.
In Giorgidze’s words, most foreign guides working in Georgia are Russian citizens, a small number of guides are from Poland, India and other countries.
