The VII International Scientific-Practical Conference on the topic: “Tourism: challenges and sustainable development” was opened in the Hotel “Hilton”. It was organized by the Faculty of Tourism of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.
The Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) shared glimpses of the event on its official Facebook page on July 3, 2026, Friday. The BSU also shared a small note about the conference event along with its glimpses.
The conference aims to discuss challenges in the tourism sector, identify sustainable development directions, and deepen cooperation between representatives of academia, governmental institutions, and the private sector.
The conference was opened by BSU Rector Tite Aroshidze, Ajara Minister of Finance and Economy Ednar Nataridze, Adjara Deputy Minister of Education and Sport Jemal Surmanidze, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism Nargiz Palavandishvili, and guests.
Panel discussions were held within the conference, where delegates discussed the following 3 main topics of best practices and experiences:
- Education for sustainable tourism: challenges and international perspectives
- Tourism in Georgia and global challenges
- Sustainable development of tourism and social responsibility
The scientific sessions will cover eight thematic areas, including sustainable tourism economy, marketing and branding, digital transformation, ecotourism, cultural heritage, tourist destination management and human capital development.
217 academics and young researchers, including 52 foreign delegates from the universities of Germany, France, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, registered for the conference. The event is attended by 124 participants and about 50 guests.
Based on the results of the conference, a collection of abstracts and a joint monograph will be published: “Tourism: challenges and sustainable development“.
The second day of the conference will be dedicated to a cultural-knowledge tour in Machakhela Valley, which aims to promote the unique tourist potential of the Adjara region for foreign and local guests.
