The Parliament is considering amendments to the Law on Tourism in an expedited manner, under which tourist guides, tour operators and travel agencies will be required to register in the National Tourism Administration’s “Base of Tourist Activity Subjects” instead of the Economic Register.
The draft law removes existing provisions that required tourism activity subjects to be registered in the Economic Register. Instead, guides, tour operators and travel agencies will be registered in a dedicated database to ensure more structured recording of tourism-related activity.
The amendments also remove references to “alpine guide”, “ski guide” and “mountain guide” from the current law.
Under the draft changes, the Government will define a list of risky tourism activities in Georgia, along with procedures for their implementation. Providers of such services will be required to hold professional liability and/or civil liability insurance.
The National Tourism Administration will be responsible for certifying personnel involved in risky tourism activities. It will also determine which specific high-risk tourism services will require authorization from the administration or another government-designated body.
The Government is expected to approve the list of risky tourism services, implementation rules and technical regulations by June 1, 2026, along with certification rules for personnel in this sector.
The amendments also significantly increase penalties. Providing risky tourism services without the required certificate will carry a fine of 3,000 GEL, rising to 6,000 GEL for repeat violations.
Operating without complying with technical regulations will result in a warning or a 1,500 GEL fine, and 3,000 GEL for repeated cases. Operating without registration in the tourism activity database will be fined 500 GEL, rising to 1,000 GEL if repeated.
Other penalties include 1,000–2,000 GEL fines for failing to submit required security guarantees, and 1,500–3,000 GEL fines for operating without insolvency protection. Operating a tourism destination management organisation without official status will also carry fines of up to 2,000 GEL.
Obstructing supervisory authorities will result in a warning or a 500 GEL fine, rising to 1,000 GEL for repeat offences.
Most amendments are set to enter into force from June 1, 2026, while some sanctions will take effect in 2027.
