Adjara enjoys 5% more tourists in July 2015

Tourism is growing in Georgia and visitors are flocking to Georgia’s Black Sea coastal city Batumi and the wider Adjara region to spend their summer break basking under the European sun.

August, which is commonly known in Georgia as the ‘sea season’, has just started and the country’s seaside resorts have already enjoyed growing visitor numbers.

Information about the number of tourists visiting Georgia’s Adjara region was released this morning by the Government of Georgia. Data showed in July 2015 alone the number of tourists in Adjara increased by 5.8 percent year-on-year (y/y). This was also evident in the first seven months of the year; between January-July 2015, the region experienced 4.3 percent growth y/y.

The number of visitors from various countries increased this summer. In particularly tourist numbers were higher from these nations:

• Kazakhstan – 11 percent;
• Bulgaria – 6.8 percent;
• Lithuania – 5.5 percent;
• Israel – 4.6 percent;
• Poland – 3.7 percent;
• Ukraine – 3.5 percent;
• Turkey – 3.2 percent;
• Azerbaijan – 1.5 percent and
• Armenia – 0.8 percent.

There were several factors that were believed to have encouraged more tourists to visit Georgia’s Adjara region.

Firstly, before the summer season began Batumi International Airport increased flight frequencies and directions. More low-cost airlines began flying into and out of the coastal airport. Because of the increased flights, the Adjara region expected more tourists this year.

Secondly, the Adjara region hosted several musical festivals, with more planned in the near future.

One of these festivals was GEM Fest, which entertained Anaklia for about 10 days and hosted many renowned artists, including Tale of Us, Booka Shade, Radio Slave, Petre Inspirescu, David August, Ellen Allien, Whomadewho and many more.

Nationwide the number of tourists who visited Georgia in July 2015 was higher than the previous year, statistics showed.

Latest data from the Information Analytical Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed in July this year the number of visitors to the country was 9.5 percent higher than in the same month in 2014.

In total, more than three million international guests have spent time in Georgia this year.