Number of foreigners visiting Georgia’s protected areas up by 27% y/y
The Prometheus cave is the most popular destination among visitors. Photo: Agency of Protected Areas
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Protected areas in Georgia have hosted 974,827 visitors in January-September, which is a 14% increase in comparison to the same period of last year. More than half (52%) of total visitors were Georgians.
The number of foreign visitors has shown a 27% increase y/y, the Agency of Protected Areas reported. The majority of foreign visitors were from Germany, Poland, Israel, Ukraine and Russia.
As for the protected areas, the Prometheus cave is the most popular destination among visitors.
Martvili Canyon, Kazbegi National Park, Okatse Canyon and Tbilisi National Park come next in the top five.
Tbilisi National Park, Kazbegi National Park and the "Prometheus Caves” are the most popular protected areas so far in 2018. A total of 16,475 guests visited Georgia’s protected areas in January 2018, a 46 percent hike in comparison to the same month in 2017, announces Georgia’s Agency of Protected Areas.
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.
Kobuleti and Kintrishi Protected areas in western Georgia have welcomed new infrastructure received through local and foreign support.
Georgia’s protected areas are becoming popular tourist spots, hosting a record number of visitors this year. In the first nine months of 2017, the number of visitors to the protected areas increased by 33 percent year-on-year.
Twelve protected areas in Georgia will receive support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to strengthen their management and financial sustainability, which will help the country conserve and protect its unique biodiversity, the UNDP and the Georgian Environmental Ministry say.