MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

“Georgia hosted a record-number of international visitors amounting to almost 8,7 million people. The increase in income from international tourism is also significant, which equaled to about 20% compared to the previous year. Tourism is one of the main sectors of Georgia’s economy, which significantly contributes to the economic growth,” – the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, George Kobulia commented while evaluating the country’s tourism sector statistics of 2018. The Minister named effective marketing policies at the target-markets implemented by the Government that factor that makes Georgia the leading tourism country in the region with annually expanding popularity among the tourists. 

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze attended the presentation. The event was also attended by the representatives of the tourism business and the mass media.

“We have significant growth not only in number of visitors but also in the number of tourists - we all know that the visitor is person that arrived in the country just for a day while the tourist stays in the country for a longer period. 5 out of 8,7 million international visitors that Georgia hosted in 2018 where tourists, which is a very high indicator for us. In line with the increased number of international tourists and visitors, their spending in the country is increased as well. This means that people who came to our country spend even more money in here, which is very important for our economy,” – George Kobulia stated.

It is worth noting that in 2018 the number of international visitors to Georgia was significantly increased from such countries as Estonia (+ 80%), Slovakia (+ 62%), Romania (+ 59%), Netherlands (+ 56%), Germany (+ 50%), Latvia (+ 44%), Czech Republic (+ 44%), Poland (+ 37%), France (+ 36%), United Kingdom (+ 31%), Italy (+ 30%), etc.

Significant increase of the tourist flow was recorded from such countries as Korea (increase by 112%), China (increase by 75%), Belarus (increase by 43%), Israel (increase by 36%), Kuwait (increase by 34%), Kazakhstan (increase by 25%), and USA (increase by 25%).

By the end of 2020, over 230 new hotels and other tourist destinations will be opened in the country with total capacity of 22,600 beds, – the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development George Kobulia noted. As the Minister highlighted, it is important that the accommodation facilities will be provided not only in Tbilisi and Batumi but in other regions of the country, which will increase local economic activity and create new jobs. According to the Minister, 32 high-class brand hotels out of 230 new tourist facilities will be constructed in the country – 14 of them will be opened in Tbilisi and the rest of the hotels will be located in Batumi, Green Cape, Kutaisi, Telavi and in Georgian mountain resorts – Gudauri, Bakuriani and Goderdzi.

George Kobulia stressed on importance of further development of the tourism in the regions. As the Minister noted, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development actively cooperates with other state agencies in order to develop a comprehensive plan of tourism development in the municipalities and the settlements as well as to provide the appropriate infrastructure.

Another priority direction that the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia highlighted was the transforming of the cultural heritage monuments such as Salkhino Residence in Martvili, the Chilashvili Palace in Dusheti Municipality, the Orbeliani Palace in Kaspi and other similar destinations into a tourist attractions. However, according to George Kobulia, the process should be strictly regulated in order to avoid any harm or damage to the monuments.

George Kobulia also drew attention to another beneficial factor that Georgia has that can also play an important role in the development of the tourism in the regions – the popularization of culinary and recreational resorts.

The Minister also highlighted that mountain resorts play significant role in the development of the tourism in Georgia and noted that many additional projects will be implemented in the mountain resorts in order to attract even more tourists and enable them to host the guests all the year round.

“As you know, we are actively preparing for the Freestyle Championship 2023 which is scheduled to be held in Bakuriani. This is a very ambitious event and we have relevantly ambitious plan that implies the implementation of several specific infrastructure projects, including the provision of new skiing areas and new cableways,” – the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, George Kobulia noted.