THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN GEORGIA

Abstract

Tourism is a global economic, social and cultural phenomenon of the modern world. Tourism meets human needs for cultural, physical, cognitive and spiritual development. Its key objectives are determined by specific social and cultural functions. In terms of the financial backing, tourism is divided into two types: Commercial (based on personal or corporate funding); Social (based on state or charity funding). Commercial tourism is focused on making a profit by travel companies, vital to their further expansion and development. In the process of profit maximization, companies try to find the optimal ratio between costs and tourism product prices. The tourism services, they offer, are mainly focused on high and middle income individuals, who can afford to fully cover their travel expenses. Social tourism is subsidized from the opportunities allocated to meet the social needs essential to creating travel opportunities for students, young people, retirees and veterans. This category of people, as the least able-bodied segment of the population, is provided with the appropriate opportunities by the state and nongovernmental organizations, or charitable foundations. This position is reinforced by the Manila Declaration on World Tourism, which states that “social tourism is a goal that society should pursue in the interests of those citizens who are least privileged in exercising their right to leisure”. The concept and types of social tourism are different in different countries. In some countries, civil servants, the military and other categories enjoy the opportunity to travel at the expense of the budget, while in others it is subsidized, for example, by trade union funds. Companies that arrange such tours receive subsidies from the state, which allows them not to raise prices during the holidays. The paper discusses the positive experience of developed countries in implementing social tourism development programs, the classification of target population groups in social tourism, development prospects in this field of tourism and positive factors.