There are great prospects for the development of Georgian speleotourism. The number of studied karst caves in our country has reached 1400, though their number is significantly higher, as Georgia is one of the unique regions of the earth by distribution of karst rocks. There are karsts in all tiers and subtiers of the Upper Jurassic as well as the Cretaceous system and Lower that is caused stipulated by the geological and geotectonical structure of the Georgian territory and the history of its geological development.

The karst caves are important resources for the tourism industry. Speleoturism is highly popular in highly developed countries and provides a significant income for the state.

     The aim of the project was to study high mountainous limestone massifs in Georgia and to identify the perspectives of the use of cave systems for tourist purposes. Geographical and geophysical methods of research were used as well as the special equipment - georadar Zond 12e. It is a modern device that allows revealing the cavities formed due to karst processes with high accuracy, as well as the water filtration processes, etc. Also, the electrometric survey methods will be applied using constant power, which differentiates the study environment with quite high accuracy according to specific electrical resistance, identifies the limestone capacity and area, reveals the crack structures and identifies direction of filtration flows.

During the implementation of the project, complex karst-speleological investigations were carried out in the limestone massifs of Samegrelo (Migaria, Tsipuria), Zemo Imereti, Racha and Eki Mountain.

        On the basis of the indicator experiments, the borders of the feeding basins of the detected karst cave systems and the supposed directions of the underground flows are identified. Their topographical survey was implemented.

Based on the results of the survey, the main patterns of the climatic regime of Georgia's mountainous caves were identified and the condition of some of the elements of some elements of cave atmosphere electricity, aerosols and gas composition of the air.

Situational plan of deployment of surface and underground karst forms of the study area was compiled.

      The chemical composition of main vaucluses and cave streams and their hydro-chemical regime were studied.

       Within the project, on the basis of complex studies conducted by us about twenty promising karst caves (Shurubumu-Deidzakhi karst phenomena, Zakariasklde, Muradi cave, Solkota, Dzudzuana, etc.) were selected out of the caves detected and registered in different limestone massifs of Georgia for speleotourist purposes, the development and involvement into the cave tourism industry of which will provide a significant economic income to the country, which in turn gives a perspective of creation new local and international speleotours. The previously unknown cave systems (the watery corridor of Saadamio - 800 m, Satsuleiskiro, etc.), detected within the project, were included in the international database of the new geographical discoveries of the USA. And the cave (about 300 m in length), discovered in the southern Imereti (the Vani region, village of Bzvani), proved the presence of limestone massif beyond the karsts strip of western Georgia previously unknown in speleo-literature. In Baghdadi region, in the Khanistskali River gorge, the Kaka Bridge, a cave of significant size was discovered, which was the first for this region that is developed in the volcanic rocks and requires additional surveys. These findings are important with the fact that the existence of the cave in the territory of southern Imereti, namely in the Baghdadi and Vani regions, was not previously known.

In the process of study of the cave systems and karst waters in the study areas, several important aspects of the research were emphasized and the corresponding conclusions were stated:

Main directions of discharges of underground karst streams formed in the Migaria massif were observed in the Khobi River gorge (the western part of the Migara massif), in particular, in the area of ​​the Shurubumu cave and the Deidzakhi vaucluse sources, where the existence of large cave systems is expected. We hope that in the future, the water tracing experiments planned by our expedition group will be resolved (positively) in favor of this point of view. Scientific and practical works have been started long ago for the opening of the mentioned system and will be continued intensively in the future.

Complex surveys conducted in Shiksha River gorge allow us to recommend the arrangement of water pond or water reservoir in this region. Its arrangement is associated with small expenditures. In addition, the development of landslide or other negative natural phenomena is excluded. The reservoir will be outflowing and constantly renewable. Therefore, the water reservoir will be multifunctional – recreational, sports-health, fish farming - industrial and etc. In our opinion, arrangement of the mentioned reservoir will significantly increase the tourist-recreational and economic potential of the region.

In the Saadamio cave located on the southern slope of the Eki Mountain the first entrance and research of 280 m cave system was carried out together with the Lithuanian speleo-aqualangists. As a result of joint research of Lithuanian and Georgian speleodivers about 300 m long unknown siphon sector filled with water and air was detected in the boating section of the Prometheus cave. Detailed information was handed to the Department of Protected Areas.

In the future, the surveys should be continued with the wide involvement of alpinist-speleologists to overcome and study the karst vertical cavities. We suppose that the cave system we studied should be related to these vertical systems. In addition, we do not exclude revealing of significant cavities exactly in the aerial strip that passes through the upper basis of the Saadamio cave.

Migraia and Eki mountain massifs have quite considerable potential. Represented here the karst rivers and streams, vaucluse springs, karst pressure and thermal waters flowing from the bosom of the ground, the underground and surface karst forms, limestone columns and other erosion witnesses, deep canyons, beautiful waterfalls, caves, wells, shafts and abysses, replaced (erratic) boulders, endemic plants, monuments of architecture and others in total are the best recreational resources.

As for the relation of the project results with other disciplines, during the implementation of the project, our group found the iron hematite layers in the caves. The samples were handed to the Head of the Georgian-British Archaeological Expedition, Mr. Brian Gilmour, Professor of Oxford University. By his leadership the research of the ancient metal workshops located in the territory of Chkhorotsku (19th century BC) has been conducting. Expedition participants found dozens of ancient metal workshops in the Khobistskali and Ochkhomuri gorges, but the issue of raw materials was unclear. Thus the iron hematite found in the heads of the rivers of Zesnakhe and  Khuru has a special scientific value and will greatly assist scientists in researching issues of ancient iron metallurgy.

As a result of implementation of the project, the newly discovered caves filled the cadastre of caves of Georgia. The main participant of the project prepared the doctoral thesis. Information about the caves and other inorganic monuments of nature (for example, the large-scale replaced boulders, waterfalls, etc.) found in the process of the project implementation were handed to the local authorities and the Department of Protected Areas for the purpose of declaring them as nature monuments and inclusion them in the tourist routes. On the basis of our recommendations, local authorities started to arrange tourist infrastructure at the "Shurubumu" cave – the overnight stay cottages were built, the bridge to the cave was repaired and so on. Also, the territory adjacent to "Deidzakhi" boulder was cleared. Schoolchildren visit it often and has several educational lessons were given.

Thus, the aspects of the research carried out in this direction and the organization of the monitoring of appropriate content is of particular interest, because we believe that together with the scientific results we will get a wide range of practical results.

Material obtained as a result of years of reconnaissance work carried out by  the TSU Institute of Geography allows us to conclude that comprehensive studies of karst caves detected in different  limestone massifs of Georgia and selected for speleotourism purposes, will have positive results and our country will be enriched is near future the speleo-objects of international level like the Akhali Atoni and Prometheus (Tskaltubo) caves, which will allow us to create new international speleo-routes. It is necessary to continue complex, measurable speleological and geophysical surveys of caves. Thus, the aspects of the research carried out in this direction and the organization of the monitoring of relevant contents are of particular interest, as we will get practical results together with scientific ones.