Monthly Tourism Update – December 2019

The year 2019 was a successful year for the Georgian tourism sector. The number of international traveler trips in Georgia reached 9.3 million, 7.8% higher compared to 2018, whilst the number of international visitor trips increased by 7.3%. This number is still lackluster compared to the previous years’ 9.8% and 17.6%. In general, tourism inflow growth seems to be slowing down, or rather, stabilizing, which is probably caused by natural constraints. In fact, if the growth of tourism inflows does not slow down (which is unlikely), number of international traveler trips in Georgia could hypothetically reach 89 million by 2050. Nevertheless, this decade has been remarkable for traveler trips, as the number of annual arrivals since 2011 has increased by 200.4%.

It is also important to point out the seasonality in tourist inflows and how it has shaped tourism industry. Each year, the number of tourists visiting Georgia peaks in August and reaches its lowest point in February (even when accounting for the least number of days). However, this gap between August and February is not narrowing. On average, 2.8 times as many foreigners visit Georgia in August compared to February.

The desire to tap the potential of winter tourism has been reflected on new promotional campaign of different ski resorts. There are multiple reasons why winter tourism is more lucrative than summer. First, the revenue from ski resorts is usually higher compared to summer resorts. With the declining tourism industry in the Alps, there is an opportunity to attract additional European tourists. Secondly, Georgian state company, Mountain Resort Development Company, experienced a loss of 16.5 million Lari in 2018. This public company provides tourism infrastructure (mainly ski lifts) maintenance in different Georgian ski resorts and this loss indicates that a sufficient number of tourists are required for the economic sustainability of winter resorts.

Hotel Price Index

In December 2019, in Georgia the hotel price index increased by 9.1% compared to November 2019. The 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotel price index increased by 6.4%, while for guesthouses, the price index increased by 13.9%.

In December 2019, compared to December 2018, hotel prices in Georgia increased by 1.2%. The prices of 3*, 4*, 5* hotels decreased by 0.8%, while the prices of guesthouses increased by 1.2%.

Average Hotel Prices

In Georgia, the average cost of a room in a 3-star hotel was 140 GEL per night in December 2019. While the average cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in Georgia was 213 GEL per night and the average cost of a room in a guesthouse was 69 GEL per night.

In December 2019, in Georgia the hotel price index increased by 9.1% compared to November 2019. The 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotel price index increased by 6.4%, while for guesthouses, the price index increased by 13.9%.

The average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel in Georgia in December 2019 was 426 GEL per night. In Tbilisi, the average price was 530 GEL, followed by Kakheti - 400 GEL, Adjara – 381 GEL and Samstkhe-Javakheti - 360 GEL.