Q2 2017: Over 1 million domestic travellers spend 110m GEL

Over one million Georgians aged 15 and older ventured away from their homes and visited another region in Georgia in the second quarter (Q2) of 2017.

These travellers spent about 110 million GEL (about $44.72m/€37.33m*) in total while travelling in Georgia.

People aged 31-50 were the most avid domestic travellers (330,600 people), while the least people willing to travel were the elderly (50,100 people).

In terms of gender, more women (455,100) travelled around Georgia than men (403,800) in Q2 2017.

Where do domestic travellers go in Georgia?

Tbilisi was the most visited area, while the Imreti region in the country’s west was the second most popular destination.

Here are the top five most visited areas:

1. Tbilisi – 264,100 domestic travellers
2. Imereti – 208,400 domestic travellers
3. Adjara – 122,400 domestic travellers
4. Shida Kartli – 87,000 domestic travellers
5. Kakheti – 78,300 domestic travellers

Why do Georgians travel around their home country?

Most people travelled to another region in Georgia to visit friends or relatives, while the next most common reason for internal travel was shopping.

The top reasons for internal travel included:

• Visiting friends/relatives – 508,100 travellers
• Shopping – 129,900 travellers
• Health and Medical Care – 128,900 travellers
• Holiday, Leisure, Recreation – 98,000 travellers
• Visiting another house (cottage, etc.) – 76,500 travellers

How much do people spend while on holiday?

Georgians spent the largest proportion of money on shopping, said Geostat.

On average, the total amount spent in Q2 2017 per category was:

• Shopping – 35.7m GEL
• Foods and drinks – 25.3m GEL
• Transport – 23m GEL
• Accommodation – 2.3m GEL
• Holiday, leisure, recreation, cultural and sporting activities – 0.7m GEL
• Other expenditures – 28.8m GEL

Are locals happy with travel and leisure infrastructure?

The monthly average number of visits made by visitors age 15 and older by satisfaction level is the following:

• Very dissatisfied – 3,700
• Dissatisfied – 23,300
• Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied – 159,400
• Satisfied – 508,500
• Very satisfied – 348,300

Furthermore, 5,100 travellers did not know or found it hard to answer whether they were satisfied of dissatisfied with their travel in Georgia, said Geostat.

* Currency conversions reflect National Bank of Georgia values as of today.