Resources and Threats of the Eco-Tourism Development in

Abstract: Ecological tourism can play a certain role in solving the problems of environment protection and sustainable and safe development of the country. The article considers some specific problems of the eco-tourism development in Georgia. The results of the study of the tourism potential in the regions in 2009-2014 revealed that: Georgia has substantial means to develop eco-tourism. This is true not only for the protected areas, but also for individual natural and geographical areas of the different regions (historical areas) of the country. The distinctive feature of the country’s eco-tourism potential is particularly diversified relief forms and natural eco-systems, in particular, intense variation of the landscapes and great contrasts between them (seaside and mountain, humid subtropical and arid zone, river gorges and steppe landscapes alternate over small areas), widely distributed endemic biological species, and traditional ethnographic, farming and domestic cultural forms survived in the historical regions (mostly in the mountains) of the country. The principal eco-tourism value is the natural eco-systems being only insignificantly modified due to industrial changes and maintaining their “natural originality”. In addition, numerous remnants of historical and cultural heritage give them a certain value. They naturally merge with the environment and not dominate over it, but add to its beauty. The threats to the environment are mostly associated with an increasing anthropogenic “aggression”, destruction of th