On June 4, 2025, students from the School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences at St. Andrew the First-Called Georgian University: Luka Alibegashvili, Ana Abesadze, Medea Gogilashvili, and Giorgi Jishishvili, under the guidance of Prof. Niko Kvaratskhelia, met with Prof. Rainer Hartmann and students of the International Master’s Program in Sustainable Tourism from Hochschule Bremen (HSB) in Kutaisi, at Akaki Tsereteli State University.
The meeting was hosted by representatives of ATSU, including Prof. Roland Kopaliani (Head of the Rector’s Office), Prof. Ketevan Kintsurashvili (Head of Quality Assurance), Assoc. Prof. Izolda Khasaia (Deputy Dean), and associate professors in tourism: Sergo Tsagareishvili, Eliso Gvelesiani, Nana Sharabidze, Mzia Kubetsia, and Asst. Prof. Maia Dikonidze.
For the fourth consecutive year, Prof. Hartmann has conducted research in Georgia on sustainable tourism together with Prof. Niko Kvaratskhelia, German graduate students, and students from SANGU. Previous phases of the project were carried out in Tbilisi, Stepantsminda, and Batumi. In 2025, Kutaisi served as the focus of the fieldwork.
During the visit, ATSU students participated in a survey designed by the German and SANGU students. In addition to university participants, a small sample of the local population was also involved in completing the questionnaire.
The project “Evaluating Sustainable Tourism Development in Kutaisi” is nearing completion. Hochschule Bremen is expected to publish a new joint research report developed by SANGU students and HSB’s master’s students, focusing on methods and criteria for assessing sustainable tourism in various Georgian cities.
