From Wool Weaving to Luxury Resorts: How Tourism Shapes Mountain Identity

Written by Sopka Jighauri, Salome Melkadze, Livia Eckert and Sofia Niggli, students from the Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich.  

 Over the course of the last years, there has been an increased interest in tourism in mountain areas (Liu et al., 2022). This is associated with subsequent tourism-related livelihood shifts (Salukvadze and Backhaus, 2020). This blog post examines how tourism-related changes shape and influence the identity of mountain communities in Tusheti (Georgia) and Andermatt (Switzerland) and to what extent these changes differ or resemble each other.

Comparing Tusheti and Andermatt shows how tourism development reshapes the identities of mountain communities in different ways. On the one hand, Tusheti's tourism grows slowly and is community-driven, helping revive traditional practices and strengthening cultural continuity (National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2016; National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2024). Competitive advantage of the mountainous destinations creates additional socioeconomic benefits, for example loyal visitors, while retaining the long-standing cultural identity of the host community (Gugushvili et al., 2019).

On the other hand, Andermatt's transformation is rapid and investor-led, with large scale luxury projects reshaping the village into a modern resort (Andermatt Swiss Alps, 2024). As these changes unfold, some residents feel a divide between the historic village and the new tourist area (Durrer Eggerschwiler et al., 2021).

Studies focusing on place identity theories, report that it is a multidimensional concept with a variety in taxonomies (Liu et al., 2022: 4). For instance, applying Breakwell's four-dimensional concept (distinctiveness, continuity, self-efficacy, and self-esteem), we observe that Tusheti's identity is strengthened more homogeneously on all dimensions, while Andermatt's identity is changing more ambivalently. For example, on the self-efficacy axis social and cultural divisions are emerging. (Liu et al., 2022: 15) In summary, the main differences between the Tusheti and Andermatt cases are scale, pace and direction. Overall, tourism preserves identity in Tusheti, while in Andermatt it creates social and cultural gaps thereby having a more transformative impact on the place identity. Taken together, these examples illustrate that tourism can support or challenge local identity on various dimensions.

References:

Andermatt Swiss Alps (2024). Increase in property sales revenue at Andermatt Swiss Alps – net profit achieved for the first time in 2023. https://corporate.andermatt-swissalps.ch/en/news/increase-in-property-sales-revenue-at-andermatt-swiss-alps-net-profit

Durrer Eggerschwiler, B., Näther, C., Egli, H., & Lienhard, M. (2021). Langzeit- und Begleitstudie BESTandermatt: "Soziokulturelle und sozioökonomische Auswirkungen des Tourismusresort Andermatt" Schlussbericht der 4. Teilstudie. Hochschule Luzern - Soziale Arbeit. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5638981

Gugushvili, T., Salukvadze, G. & Salukvadze J. (2019). Has traditional Georgian hospitality been sustained under tourism development? Evidence from the high-mountain regions of Georgia. Mountain Research and Development, 39(4). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-19-00011.1

Liu, Y., He, J., Chen, Q., Fu, B., & Dong, E. (2022). Mountain outdoor tourism and tibetan mountain guides' place identity: The case of mt. Siguniang town. Sustainability, 14(22), 14926. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214926

Salukvadze, G., & Backhaus, N. (2020). Is tourism the beginning or the end? Livelihoods of georgian mountain people at stake. Mountain Research and Development, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-19-00078.1

National Statistics Office of Georgia. (2016). Tourism statistics: Tusheti region 2016. GNTA. https://api.gnta.ge/storage/files/doc/geo-turizmi-2016.pdf (accessed 30.11.25).

National Statistics Office of Georgia. (2024). Tourism statistics: Tusheti region 2024. GNTA. https://api.gnta.ge/storage/files/doc/saqartvelos-turizmis-statistikuri-mimokhilva2024.pdf (accessed 30.11.25).