Theoretical Aspects of Hospitality and Whether Vazha-Pshavela was or not the Founder of Economy School

Emzar Jgerenaia

Or Vazha-Pshavela`s version of PhD in Tourism for the first time in the world

I would like to let my philologist friends know in advance – I’ll never rip into their competention, save me God! I just went back to everlasting topic of hospitality one again, as I had no idea about its theoretical and economic backgrounds and that it is a object of PhD research in Georgia. I just thought for myself –what a strange people we, economists are. We discovered that what nation considers to be its genealogical property, has economic characteristics and began to research it, we moved it from Philology to economic laboratory. By the way, I can’t exactly tell you what is to be researched. Is it continuation of Vazha’s ideas or is it just a good promotion of tourism and increasing the number of well trained waiters/ waitresses. In case the issue is connected to Vazha, we should think about the problem of highly qualified policemen and law enforcements system development, so that tourists feel safe. Or we might think about what a tourist bus driver should wear. Why not? Doesn’t the side, from which the waiter brings Khinkali to the table at Tsiskvili restaurant matter? It was an art before and became a science now.
I suddenly imagined a foreign advertisement and methods of Hotel reservation. That is a sphere full of details. So many hotels are being built, it would be a shame to employ there cooks who have finished only six months training courses or receptionists who’ve reached the positions without having fundamental and scientific knowledge.
Just imagine an advertisement – You are being served by cook Jhujhuna, Doctor of Hospitality studies – Sounds fine! Tourists will be amazed. Their appetite will rise and they will start telling legends about us. Although I’m involved in research… I got confused.
By the way, the World Tourism Organization conducted a conference at Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel by the end of September. I listened attentively to the number of participants from different counties. They don’t have PhD degree in tourism because those undeveloped countries have not started PhD Programs in Tourism yet (We’ll bring them here and assist them to become doctors). But that is just part of business, and anything new from the sphere of economy is the part of international business.
I asked everyone if they knew Doctors of Tourism. They all were surprised and said they’ve never heard of it. They asked me to tell about Economic theory and a new school of hospitality, also about PhD School. Well, I couldn’t say anything, just several names that have serious intentions regarding this issue in Georgian economy.
The World Tourism Organization got interested in the initiative and was quite enthusiastic about it. But later I was asked about the object and means of research. Of course I wasn’t able to give an answer. I just told them about Vazha. They were surprised to know that tourism has a long history in Georgia and said that our country is the first one preparing Doctors (PhDs) in this field. Representatives of so called Tourism Mecca were astonished.
An active and energetic girl came up and brought coffee to us. Another yet beardless young man changed our ashtray. A grown–up Georgian came out from the hotel reception and discussed departure agenda with our guests, checked plane tickets one again and offered them to visit Mtskheta with a guide as their next day was free. He was a real host! I asked him where he had learned all these hospitality issues, and he said he had done two months courses in Bratislava. ‘What do you mean,’ I asked, ‘Haven’t you got a PhD degree’? He said he had never heard of the thing like that. See, he had no idea about our Know-How, although he could deal with the hospitality issues quite well. The World Trade Organization added that they intend to open a six months school in tourism with their financial support, they plan to prepare highly qualified managers and bring specialists from abroad.
As for PhD, well… they said they have no specialists in this field and have never thought about it.
Well, well, well… I laughed to myself with sarcasm and almost jumped up of happiness. I discovered the fact that for the first time in the world Georgian University has PhD and will have Doctors in this sphere. We are the best in the theory of tourism. This will make Poor Vazha turn in his grave when he hears about it.
Economist greatly valued Vazha’s work. They made his deal as the world top issue.
We might have no tourism, but have Doctors of tourism, so what?
Number of waiter (waitress) and tour operators will be increased. Aren’t we cool? We are keen on being leaders. We have the cleverest person at the university – Mr. Zimmerman from Germany, advisor to the Rector, who also teaches at the London School of Economics and knows a lot about the system of higher education. I asked him too, but he had no idea and had never heard about it. We, the Georgians may shock anyone.
Well, I know people in Tbilisi, able to be the Hospitality Doctors –Givi Sikharulidze and Reno Inashvili.
We are the nation with traditions, for sure! We are the first! The others had no idea about tourism when Vazha –Pshavela was writing on theories of hospitality.