Monthly Tourism Update - November 2019

In 2018, there were 8.7 million international traveler trips made in Georgia. In the first 11 months of 2019, the number of international traveler trips exceeded that of the previous year by 48 thousand. The number of foreign travelers in airports has been increasing rapidly: compared to 130 thousand foreign travelers using Georgian airports in 2005, the number has increased more than 13 times and reached 1.79 million in the last year.

There is a noticeable difference between the two main airports, in Kutaisi and Tbilisi. Tbilisi International Airport served more than 3.8 million total passengers last year. Throughout the same year, more than 1.4 million incoming international trips were made in the above-mentioned airport. Kutaisi International Airport served 617 thousand travelers last year, of which only 147 thousand were incoming international traveler trips.

However, airports accounted only for 24.8% of international traveler trips in 2018. Most of the travelers used land passes. Some of those passes, like Kazbegi, Sadakhlo, Tsiteli Khidi and Sarpi, are used for more than a million trips annually (each) by visitors entering the country. Kazbegi especially has experienced a remarkable growth, as in the last eight years, the number of international travelers using the pass to enter the country has increased more than 30 times. In total, land borders account for 73.8% of incoming international traveler trips.

The remaining 1.4% is divided between railways and ports. In 2018, more than 67 thousand incoming traveler trips were made via railways and this number has been increasing steadily. Meanwhile, sea transportation is two times less popular and is becoming less attractive to foreigner travelers by the year.

Hotel Price Index

In November 2019, in Georgia the hotel price index³ decreased by 6.4% compared to October 2019. The 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotel price index decreased by 6.0%, while for guesthouses, the price index decreased by 9.4%.

In November 2019, compared to November 2018, hotel prices in Georgia increased by 0.5%. The prices of 3*, 4*, 5* hotels increased by 2.0%, while the prices of guesthouses decreased by 5.7%.

Average Hotel Prices

In Georgia, the average cost of a room¹ in a 3-star hotel was 129 GEL per night in November 2019. While the average cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in Georgia was 202 GEL per night and the average cost of a room in a guesthouse² was 64 GEL per night.

The average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel in Georgia in November 2019 was 441 GEL per night. In Tbilisi, the average price was 516 GEL, followed by Adjara – 420 GEL, and Kakheti - 390 GEL and Samstkhe-Javakheti - 350 GEL.

1. 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)).

2. 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.

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

4. * Preliminary results