GNTA Implements Standards for Marking Hiking Routes in Georgia

In collaboration with the Georgian Hiking and Travel Association, the National Hiking Federation, the Ecotourism Development Center, the Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia, and GEOLAND, the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) has announced the implementation of a unified and standardized system of markings to be used for all the mountain-hiking itineraries and routes throughout the country.

The marking system is designed based on the experiences of Poland, Switzerland, and France, countries regarded as leaders in the hiking tourism sphere in Europe.

Hiking routes in Upper Svaneti and Svaneti-Samegrelo have already been marked with the new system, says GNTA, while a further 156 routes, covering six regions of Georgia, are expected to be marked in 2017. All routes in these and in two further regions  are expected to be fully updated with the new marking system by 2020.

The project, initiated by GNTA, will also provide training for hiking guides. In addition, GNTA is working on the creation of a more united network of hiking routes that will facilitate access to tourist sites throughout the country.

Nino Gugunishvili