January-July 2017: Georgia’s protected areas attract 489,909 visitors
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Georgia’s efforts to make the country’s protected areas popular tourist spots appears to be paying off – 489,909 tourists visited Georgia’s protected areas so far this year.
In the first seven months of 2017 the number of visitors to the protected areas increased by 35 percent compared to the same period of 2016, announced Georgia’s Agency of Protected Areas.
A majority of the visitors, 61 percent (301,557 visitors), are Georgians and 39 percent (188,352) are foreigners.
Between January-July the number of Georgian visitors increased by 28 percent year-on-year (y/y) while the number of foreign visitors increased by 45 percent, said the Agency.
Most foreign visitors were from Germany, Israel, Poland, Ukraine and Russia.
Georgia’s most visited protected areas
1. Prometheus Caves
Prometheus Caves, discovered in Imereti region in 1984 and opened to the public in 2012, is the most visited site with 81,110 visitors in January-July 2017.
Prometheus Caves is one of the natural wonders of Georgia. Photo by Agency of Protected Areas.
Prometheus Caves is one of Georgia’s natural wonders providing visitors with breathtaking examples of stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, petrified waterfalls, cave pearls, underground rivers and lakes.
2. Martvili Canyon
Martvili Canyon in west Georgia was the second most popular place visited, with 74,580 guests. Martvili Canyon is located in the Martvili Municipality of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region and spans a distance of 2.4km but only 5-10m wide.
Martvili Canyon now has all necessary tourism infrastructure. Photo by Billy Bilikhodze Photography.
3. Kazbegi National Park
Located on the northern slopes of Main Caucasus range, Kazbegi National Park attracted 72,102 visitors so far this year.
All of the Kazbegi National Park is mountainous. Its lowest part is located at 1400 m above sea level and the upper one is within 3000 – 4100 m. Establishing of Kazbegi National Park serves the purpose of protection of the high mountain ecosystems.
Georgia’s Red List species, such as East Caucasian tur (Carpa cylinricornis), chamois (Rupicarpa rupicarpa), wolf (Canis lupus), Pine Marten (Martes martes) can be found in the Kazbegi Strict Nature Reserve. Photo from Georgian Holidays.
4. Sataplia
Sataplia Nature Reserve was the fourth most visited sight, as 55,815 travellers were there between January-July this year.
At this Protected Area in western Georgia, located 9km northwest of Kutaisi you can see a lot of different types of sights in one place. The area boasts more than a dozen of fossilized dinosaur footprints dating back 120 million years. You can also venture into a 300m-long underground cave and see plenty of stalactites and stalagmites or an underground river.
Dinosaur footprints displayed at Sataplia Nature Reserve. Photo by Agency of Protected Areas.
5. Okatse Canyon
And the fifth most visited site in Georgia’s Protected Areas was Okatse Canyon with 38,088 visitors.
Okatse Canyon is located in the Khoni Municipality of the Imereti region, 50km north-east of Martvili. Hugging the 14km-long Okatse River, the canyon's width ranges from 3-20m and its height varies from 20-100m. Exiting views can be observed from the platform at the edge of a 100m deep gap.
Hanging trail at Okatse Canyon. Photo from Okatse Canyon/Facebook.
See images of the picturesque Martvili and Okatse Canyons in a video by the Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia below:
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A total of 954,397 guests visited Georgia’s protected in 2017, a 30 percent hike in comparison to 2016, announces Georgia’s Agency of Protected Areas.
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