The quality of service has been named as the reason for conflicts between tourists and residents of Abkhazia.

Conflicts between tourists and locals in Abkhazia occur rarely, and individual incidents are related to the human factor, the peculiarities of local service, and problems with the gray tourism business. Overall, the attitude towards vacationers in the republic remains friendly, noted the Abkhaz analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot."

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 26, a conflict occurred at Lake Ritsa between tourists and locals. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia, two tourists sustained soft tissue injuries and a concussion; three residents of Abkhazia were taken to the police station.

Conflicts between tourists and residents of Abkhazia are extremely rare and primarily depend on the behavior of specific individuals, noted political scientist David Dasania. According to him, many tourists spoke negatively about the behavior of the participants in the recent conflict at Lake Ritsa, claiming that they violated public order.

"Everything depends on the human factor. People can be different. As far as I know, many tourists from Russia spoke negatively about the people who were beaten: they violated public order <…>, behaved provocatively, and someone lost control. However, Russian tourists, in general, behave adequately, especially if they are in love with this land," Dasania told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

He mentioned that he recently accompanied a group of Russian tourists on a trip around Abkhazia, and they were very satisfied with their stay in the republic.

There is indeed a price difference for tourists and locals in Abkhazia's markets, Dasania pointed out. "When bargaining in the markets, tourists are sold items a bit more expensively, while citizens of Abkhazia are charged a bit less," he explained.

Dasania linked the increased attention to conflicts between tourists and residents of Abkhazia to political motives. "There are certain forces that have set themselves the goal of suffocating relations between Abkhazia and Russia, between the peoples," he stated, without specifying which forces he meant.

According to Dasania, the authorities of Abkhazia are trying to establish order, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic is fulfilling the decisions and promises made. "It is evident that there is now more order," he said.

At the same time, the political scientist suggested changing the procedure for selling Abkhaz car insurance to owners of vehicles with Russian license plates. He stated that instead of stopping such cars at traffic police checkpoints, it would be better to arrange insurance at the border during or immediately after crossing it, so that tourists do not face unexpected stops.

Conflicts between tourists and locals are rather isolated incidents for Abkhazia, noted Said Gezeradava, an employee of the NGO "Center for Humanitarian Programs." Tourists are not always familiar with the local approach to service and cultural norms, and businesses often have a family character, he pointed out.

"Clients should take into account local cultural norms, at a basic level, of course, and we will not overlook the behavior of a client just because they are paying," Gezeradava explained to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

The mass and almost year-round tourist flow creates a burden on the infrastructure; however, the attitude towards tourists in Abkhazia remains generally friendly. The quality of service varies significantly in different resort areas, and the service around the Ritsa Nature Reserve is traditionally designed for a large flow and does not always meet tourists' high expectations, Gezeradava noted.

In his opinion, the recent conflict at Lake Ritsa also arose from complaints about the service. Locals are not always ready to accept any remarks directed at them, and possible insults can further escalate the reaction, he pointed out.

"I see the problem in that representatives of the private excursion business do not leave their clients with a choice, and their route is determined by agreements with the owners of points – cafes, tasting halls, apiaries, etc. The quality and requests of tourists do not play a role here, specifically in the case of such private excursions. They are very widespread. Moreover, the business we are talking about (private excursions, jeep tours, etc.) is chaotic and gray; if authorized state structures paid attention to this, I think there would be fewer problems," Gezeradava said.

He considered the coverage of conflicts between tourists and locals in Russian media to be "deliberately sensational, with a political subtext."

In the conflict at Lake Ritsa, both sides behaved incorrectly, believes an analyst who has studied Abkhazia for many years. "Both the locals were hot-headed, and the tourists <…>. They came to Abkhazia with the attitude of 'we are owed everything.' One could say that two solitudes met," he told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

The analyst also doubted the claims about the severe injuries of one of the tourists. "Judging by the TV reports, he did not seem to be a person who was beaten with a bench on the spine," he noted. At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia reported that two participants in the conflict had sustained soft tissue injuries and a concussion.

For the Abkhaz tourist business, the practice of a basic price and additional paid services is common, the analyst pointed out. The widespread coverage of stories about beaten tourists he explained by the fact that Abkhaz authorities and local bloggers initially did not cover the conflict, so predominantly one side's version was presented publicly.

Clashes between tourists and locals have occurred before, but they were rarer, reported an employee of one of the oldest tourist companies in Abkhazia, "Abkhaz-Tour." In her opinion, the large flow of tourist money has affected the behavior of both individual vacationers and some locals.

"Among the vast majority of normal tourists coming to Abkhazia, there are some not very adequate people who think that they are owed everything. On the other hand, the flow of tourist money has caused a change in character for the worse in some Abkhazians," she told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

According to the tour company employee, the resonant conflicts have not affected Abkhazia's image as a tourist destination. Tourists coming through "Abkhaz-Tour" also did not encounter a change in service prices between the beginning and end of their trip, as the company operates on a fixed price list, she emphasized.