August 2019 Monthly Tourism Update

In Georgia, the average cost of a room¹ in a 3-star hotel was 151 GEL per night in August 2019, while the average cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in Georgia was 230 GEL per night and the average cost of a room in a guesthouse² was 75 GEL per night.

The average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel in Georgia in August 2019 was 488 GEL per night. In Tbilisi, the average price was 592 GEL, followed by Ajara – 461 GEL, Kakheti – 398 GEL and Samstkhe-Javakheti – 390 GEL.

According to Airbnb, in August 2019, the average price of apartments per night in the capitals of Black Sea countries are the following: Kiev - $172, Moscow - $103, Bucharest - $65, Sofia - $43, Tbilisi - $41, Ankara - $30.

Hotel Price Index

In August 2019, in Georgia the hotel price index³ increased by 3.4% compared to July 2019. The 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotel price index increased by 2.0%, while for guesthouses, the price index increased by 4.6%.

In August 2019, compared to August 2018, hotel prices in Georgia decreased by 2.4%. The prices of 3*, 4*, 5* hotels decreased by 5.3%, while the prices of guesthouses increased by 3.1%.

Most Visited Regions by International Travelers

In the first half of 2019, the majority of visits by international travelers were made to Tbilisi, in total - 1.7 million visits. Tbilisi was followed by Ajara region - 0.7 million visits, Kvemo Kartli region - 0.55 million visits and Mtskheta-Mtianeti region - 0.54 million visits.

In the first half of 2019, the least visits were made to Guria, Shida Kartli, Racha, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regions; in total in those regions 1.5 million visits were made.

Compared to the first half of 2018, in the first half of 2019, visits made by international travelers increased the most in Tbilisi, by 16.1%, followed by Ajara and Kvemo Kartli, respectively by 6.2% and 4.9%. Visits decreased the most in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kakheti⁴.

¹ The results are based on the surveying of standard double hotel room prices of 3, 4, 5-star hotels and guesthouses in 10 regions of Georgia. Hotels were chosen arbitrarily according to random sampling principle. The study contains 71% (312) of all 3, 4 and 5-star hotels and 25% (456 guesthouses) of all guesthouses registered on www.booking.com The 3, 4 and 5-star hotel price data was collected by contacting hotels individually, while the prices of guesthouses were taken from booking.com. The average prices are arithmetic mean of standard double hotel room prices.

² Guesthouse: a type of accommodation that is characterized by having a small number of rooms and services are usually offered by the resident family.

³ The calculation of the hotel price index is based on the recommendations given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The elementary aggregate price index is calculated by Jevons index (Consumer Price Index Manual-Theory and Practice (2004), Practical Guide to Producing Consumer Price Indices (2009)).

⁴ Source: Geostat