Record numbers of tourists flock to Georgia in May 2016

A record number of tourists have visited Georgia in the first five months of 2016, says head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration Giorgi Chogovadze.

Between January and May Georgia hosted 2,119,275 international visitors (tourists, transit, other), which was a 15 percent increase year-on-year (y/y).

This was slightly less than the amount of tourists who visited Georgia in the whole of 2015.

Of the 2,119,275 international visitors so far this year, 782,814 were tourists. This was an increase of 19 percent y/y.

Meanwhile in May 2016 alone, Georgia hosted 522,359 international visitors, which was 15 percent more y/y.

The number of tourists who spent more than 24 hours in Georgia last month was 204,714 or 24 percent more y/y.

Last month the most international visitors came from: 

• Ukraine – 31 percent increase;
• Russia – 19 percent increase;
• Azerbaijan – 18 percent increase;
• Turkey – 7 percent increase;
• Armenia – 4 percent increase.

A positive trend was retained regarding visitors from European Union (EU) countries. In May 2016 growing numbers of EU visitors came from: 

• Latvia - 64 percent increase;
• Poland - 30 percent increase;
• Germany - 29 percent increase;
• Lithuania - 21 percent increase.

Chogovadze said significant growth in terms of visitor numbers was observed from: 

• India - 319 percent increase;
• Iran - 300 percent increase;
• Oman - 149 percent increase;
• Israel - 122 percent increase;
• Saudi Arabia - 85 percent increase.

Meanwhile last year 2,278,562 tourists visited Georgia, which was 2.2 percent more than in 2014.