More visitors come to Georgia in 2014

Almost half a million visitors spent time in Georgia last month.

Latest data from Ministry of Internal Affairs Informative-Analytical Department stated Georgia hosted 452,588 visitors in June. This amount was seven percent less than in June 2013.

Meanwhile 2,243,326 visitors spent time in the country in the first six months of the year – a two percent increase on the same time in 2013.

More than a third of people who came to Georgia were tourists – 864193 (38.5 percent). This was 7.7 percent higher than the same time last year. Eighteen percent of people were in transit - 406915 – which was a three percent drop on 2013, and 972254 people came to Georgia for "other” reasons, which was 43.4 percent of the total amount of visitors – a 0.2 percent decrease.

In 2014 the highest number of visits came from Turkey (nine percent decrease compared to 2013), Azerbaijan (15.3 percent increase), Armenia (19.3 percent decrease), Russia (20 percent decrease) and Ukraine (10 percent increase).

In addition, a positive trend was noticed as more visitors from European Union (EU) member states travelled to Georgia. Visitors from Lithuania in 2014 increased by 89 percent, Poland by 54 percent, Austria by 20 percent, Italy by 16 percent and Latvia by 14 percent.

From the Asian area, most visitors came from Kazakhstan, which was a 29 percent increase, and from Belarus in Eastern Europe, with 45percent increase.