Georgia: 5 Months of Sanctions Sees 100,000 Russians Less, But 215,000 More Other Tourists

It has been 5 months and 22 days since July 8, 2019, when Russia suspended direct flights with Georgia. According to the statistics from the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA), a record number of international visitors, 3,961,438, visited the country during this period (July-November), which is 215,306 or 5.7% visitors more compared to the same period of the previous year.

Due to the air traffic restrictions imposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin after large-scale anti-Russian rallies in Georgia in June, the number of Russian visitors to Georgia decreased by 99,483 compared to the previous year.

However, the decrease in Russian tourists was balanced by an increased tourist flow from other countries. The growth was particularly pronounced from Ukraine, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

The top 10 countries, whose citizens visited Georgia the most this year, is as follows:

1. Azerbaijan: 781,311 visitors, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year

2. Russia: 714,668 visitors, down 12%

3. Armenia: 699,840 visitors, up 8%

4. Turkey: 576,180 visitors, up 12%

5. Georgia (non-resident): 223,561 visitors, up 4%

6. Israel: 114,478 visitors, up 29%

7. Ukraine: 114,466 visitors, up 20%

8. Iran: 71,501 visitors, down by 46% from the previous year;

9. Kazakhstan: 62,103 visitors, up 72%

10. Saudi Arabia: 56,156 visitors, a 40% increase compared to the previous year.

What’s more, the number of tourists coming to Georgia increased from Poland, Germany, Belarus, China, and the USA.

In January-November 2019, visits of international travelers coming to Georgia reached a historic high of 8,690,352, which is 7.2% more compared to the same period of 2018, the GNTA says.

The agency added that in the first 11 months of 2019, of the total number of visits by international travelers, 7,191,042 visits (6.6% increase) were carried out by international visitors designated as people who are over the age of 15 and stay for less than one year.

In the first 11 months of 2019, of the international visits, tourist-type visits accounted for 4,768,432, which is a 6.3% increase.

Only last month, visits of international travelers coming to Georgia reached 670,122 which is an increase of 12% compared to the same period of last year.

The National Bank of Georgia reports that in the period January-August 2019, Georgia received $2.58 billion in tourism revenue, up 0.45% compared to the same period of 2018.

During the embargo period, the third quarter of 2019, Georgia received $1.126 billion in tourism revenue, which is $83.8 million less than in 2018.

Mid-December, the President of the National Bank of Georgia Koba Gvenetadze stated that the decision of the Russian President to ban direct flights to Georgia in June 2019 cost the Georgian economy $300 million and that this move, and the spread of other formal or informal trade sanctions, raised expectations of an exchange rate devaluation.

“We estimate that the country received $300 million less in tourism revenue due to airline transactions. This was followed by the political tensions that contributed to the further devaluation of the national currency,” he added.

During 2019, Georgia received $3 billion revenue from international tourism, according to the GNTA.

By Tea Mariamidze

Image source: culturetrip.com