The Institute for Tourism Development of Georgia proposed to charge foreign tourists a daily fee of one lari for hotel accommodation.
The collected funds will be directed to the budget of local municipalities for the development of cities and villages. According to a survey of hotels in Batumi and Kobuleti, cited by a source, 52 percent of respondents welcome the idea. Hoteliers believe that such a fee will contribute to the sustainable development of the tourism sector.
“The proposed tax will only be paid by tourists when staying at a hotel, and hotel owners or operators will not bear its financial burden. For example, if the cost of staying at a hotel is 100 lari, and the tourist tax is 1 lari per day, then the amount paid by the tourist, will amount to 101 GEL,” explained Mamuka Berdzenishvili, executive director of the Institute of Tourism of Georgia.
Berdzenishvili added that if this fee were introduced, for example, in Batumi, with an increase in the number of hotels and tourists, the local budget could receive an additional 4-6 million lari. The Institute of Tourism of Georgia noted that the introduction of this initiative will be voluntary for the municipalities. There will also be a tax ceiling, and local authorities will be able to determine the amount of the fee within the established amount.
To eliminate all the risks that may arise after the introduction of the new practice, the process will take a long time, perhaps a year or two, representatives of the Georgian tourism sector explained.