Need to Get Away? How About Abkhazia?

SOKHUM, Abkhazia (Aug. 30) -- Russian tourists dressed in a colorful array of sequined bikinis and tiny Speedos are spending their summer holidays in record numbers in Abkhazia, the bullet-riddled, semi-independent territory between Georgia and Russia.

During the height of the Abkhaz tourism season this month, rows of massive tour buses are rolling into war-scarred Sokhum, Abkhazia's capital city, and disgorging hordes of sun-starved Russians onto the freshly tiled boardwalk downtown.

Many have traveled from Moscow or St. Petersburg, or on day trips from Sochi, to ride inflatable banana-shaped boats, lie on the Black Sea beaches and snatch up souvenir T-shirts that wryly celebrate the geopolitical limbo of their holiday getaway. "Abkhazia, Country of the Future!" one popular T-shirt reads.

Abkhazia is a breakaway region about twice the size of Rhode Island, claimed by Georgia but recognized as an independent nation by Russia and a handful of other countries. The budding tourism industry in Abkhazia, which makes up almost a quarter of the fledgling economy, is considered a vital foundation for the quasi-state's economic and political development.

"It's a major sector of the economy and an industry that we will continue to rely on as we develop," said Abkhaz Minister of Economy Kristina Ozgan. "Growing tourism is definitely a priority for us."

In 2009, Abkhazia hosted an estimated 800,000 visitors, and this year that number is expected to top a million, according to the Abkhaz Ministry of Tourism. About 90 percent of current tourists to Abkhazia hail from Russia or Belarus, with smaller percentages from other former Soviet republics, according to Kristina Lakerbaya, a top official at the Abkhaz Ministry of Tourism.

Many of these tourists originally visited Abkhazia during the Soviet era, when KGB officers and Soviet elites famously took their holidays there. Josef Stalin, an ethnic Georgian, built his summer home in the Abkhaz mountains.

"My mom used to come here when she was young, and she would tell stories about it," said Katya Bugurski, a young tourist to Abkhazia who lives in Sochi. "Now we come here together as often as we can."

Despite the growing number of visitors, even tourism official Lakerbaya acknowledges that Abkhazia remains in many ways a dingy destination. Many of Sokhum's streets and sidewalks are unpaved, and the makeshift capital lacks five-star restaurants and hotels.

That's not to mention the hulking, mortar-marred buildings that characterize the downtown, and the thousands of empty houses in the countryside, which were abandoned by Georgians after the Abkhaz-Georgian war in the 1990s, or by Abkhaz families driven away by years of economic sanctions and the threat of more war.

"We realize the tourist experience isn't quite where we want it to be yet," Lakerbaya said. "Right now, we're just working to keep up with demand."

The flood of visitors this year stems in large part from Russia's formal recognition two years ago of Abkhazia as an independent nation, which afforded the long-isolated region financial support and a foundation for private investment.

Shortly after recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another breakaway region of Georgia, Russia signed military treaties with both regions and now maintains military bases -- complete with long-range missiles -- on the territories. Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is seen primarily as a move to punish Georgia after the Russo-Georgian War in 2008, but the implications for Abkhazia in the past two years have been significant.

The Kremlin, in addition to providing military security and ponying up half of the Abkhaz government's operating budget, recently pledged another $360 million to Abkhazia for much-needed infrastructure repairs and renovations -- much of which will change the tourists' experience there.

"The importance of Russia's recognition of Abkhazia can't be understated," said Abkhaz Foreign Minister Maxim Gundjia. "For the first time in 17 years, we have security, investment, a growing economy."

He added, "We are not worried about a war starting tomorrow. That changes everything."

While most Abkhazians feel a debt of gratitude to Russia, some also fear that exclusive Russian influence in their tiny, partially recognized state might overwhelm their claims to independence.

"I think we have to realize Abkhazia does not have absolute independence. We are completely dependent on Russia in a lot of ways," said Liana Kvarchelia, deputy director of for Sokhum's Center for Humanitarian Programs. "We need to do more to ensure that our state interests are taken into account, but besides that, what are we supposed to do? Turn our back to our only ally?"

Abkhaz officials and political analysts say the only answer to Abkhazia's vulnerable semi-statehood is international recognition. That's a distant goal, but as that souvenir T-shirt -- "Abkhazia, Country of the Future!" -- perhaps suggests, some Abkhaz officials regard the influx of tourism as a potential way for Abkhazia to take its message to the world.

"We want to attract Europeans -- in addition to Russians and Belarusians -- to see Abkhazia for themselves," said Lakerbaya, citing the Ministry of Tourism's brand-new English-language website, which was built for just that purpose.

"Abkhazia is different from what many people hear. It's peaceful and beautiful," she said. "The more people who see it, the better."