Number of Tourists in 2016 up 7.6 Percent

TBILISI - The head of Georgia’s National Tourism Administration, Giorgi Chogovadze, announced Wednesday that the number of tourists visiting the country in 2016 had increased by 7.6 percent from 2015.

According to Chogovadze, 6,350,825 international visitors arrived in Georgia last year, which is 449,731 more than the year previous.

The greatest number of tourists hailed from Azerbaijan (1,523,075, an increase of 9.3%), followed by Armenia (1,496,246, an increase of 1.9%) and Turkey (1,254,089 – a decreased of 9.9% from last year). 1,037,564 Russian tourists visited Georgia in 2016, which is a full 12% more than in 2015, while visits from Ukraine increased by 21.8%, amounting to 172,631 people.

The year-on-year statistics for visitors from Europe also show positive signs. The total number of travelers from Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Germany has all significantly increased.

“A exceptional increase in tourism was observed from the following countries: Iran (+485%), India (+ 199%), Saudi Arabia (+ 116%), the Philippines (+ 89%), Oman (+ 75%), and China (+46%),” Chogovadze said.

He added that the income from international tourism has also increased, amounting to USD 1.7 billion in three quarters of 2016. That represents USD 177 million more than figures from the previous year.

By Thea Morrison

Photo: Tetnuldi Alpine Ski Resort