In the 2024 edition, we will meet Tinatin Ididze, who has been a participant in the BPN Georgia program since 2022. We are pleased to have this strong Georgian woman in this edition and wish her professional success.
Translated version of the article published in German:
An adventurer with a business plan
Wild, free, ready for adventure: Tinatin Ididze is from one of the most inaccessible corners of Georgia. She happily shares her love for nature, horses and traditions with tourists and nature lovers from all over the world. How much do you have the right to show your weakness and emotions to guests when conducting mountain tourism and equestrian tourism? The founder of Caucastours has found his own management style: it is natural!
Tinatin Ididze, the head of the sustainable tourism company Caucastours, a certified mountain guide and equestrian tour guide, along with her also certified guides, offers guests from all over the world adventure tours in the beautiful and still untouched nature of the Caucasus Mountains.
Interview
Ladies Drive: Adventure is your profession. What was your greatest adventure?
I am curious and often observe where the maximum of my abilities lies. During my first mountain trip in 2015, I discovered my physical and mental abilities. Before that, I did not realize how my childhood had prepared me for such a difficult and responsible task as the profession of a mountain guide. My agency is also such an adventure, in which I emerged without any academic knowledge, only with the experience of a guide.
Ladies Drive: Do you consider yourself a "superwoman"?
Not at all. Curiosity is a natural human trait. I would call myself more fortunate because I was born in such a beautiful place and surrounded by people who opened up many opportunities for me. My contribution to all this is only my courageous behavior. I never say that I can't do something, I boldly face challenges. It even became an attitude for me to cope with challenges.
Ladies Drive: In the mountains, it's often a matter of life and death. Do you allow yourself to appear weak to customers or employees?
I don't try to show myself as infallible. This activity brings pleasure to me and my employees. We respect each other's positive and negative sides and support each other in overcoming challenges. I always listen carefully to my team and customers. There are often situations in the mountains when I have to make the final decision alone, but before that I explain to everyone how I came to this decision. I also ask them to express their opinions. This trust gives us the opportunity to achieve our goals with mutual support and understanding.
Ladies Drive: Have you ever had self-doubt?
Yes, sometimes. I neither studied tourism nor received an economic education. There are often problems that I cannot see a way to solve and I feel helpless. In this context, BPN Georgia seminars were very important to me. The seminars “Financial Management” and “Business Administration” especially helped me to get the company out of chaos. Despite this, I believe that we can still be our own worst managers.
Ladies Drive: What gives you strength?
To see that what I do is not just for myself. The inhabitants of remote places are happy when they see new opportunities for their region. Visitors like the hospitality of the locals and the feeling of becoming an integral part of their lives. They appreciate wild hikes in remote and untouched nature and wholeheartedly support the development of this serious type of tourism.
Ladies Drive: What is your business model, your unique side, and how did you get here?
I have developed a sustainable and serious tourism model. Since I have been in the tourism industry, I have observed how mass tourism has changed regions that are easily accessible in terms of infrastructure. How the attitude between guests and hosts, or between hosts and neighbors, has also changed. There are frequent conflicts. I have also observed how the population left remote regions because they could not earn enough income due to difficult living conditions. I come from such a region, which is distinguished by its location, nature, ethnoculture, traditions and rituals. It breaks my heart to see the loss of the shepherd culture, which was an integral part of our tradition. This includes shepherd huts, the culture of horsemen, which defined the local ethnoculture. These destinations were not only a source of income, but also represented our cultural heritage and identity. We fear that we will lose the most important part of our cultural heritage.
Ladies Drive: How does tourism help you preserve this cultural heritage?
Tourism is an important contribution to traditional ways of life. Incorporating the pastoral lifestyle into the tourism program ensures the preservation of the traditions of this direction and creates financial security for the locals. Realizing this, I began to look for similar adventure opportunities in other regions. This is a potential that has not been exploited so far. I saw how guests appreciated these moments in nature and realized that this should be my niche.
Ladies Drive: Which offers do your guests like the most?
Hiking, horseback riding and skiing. Also, herding sheep or a 250-kilometer horseback tour on winter and autumn pastures. It is an amazing feeling of happiness for them to watch the lambs being born. At the moment, what makes me happiest is that I carry my backpack with me to work and witness this miracle of nature.
