Q1 2020: international travellers to Georgia down 17.6%
People aged 31-50 made for the majority of inbound travellers (319,800 people), while the smallest category was the elderly (13,300 people). Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The number of arrivals of international non-resident travellers to Georgia equalled 1.3 million in the first quarter of 2020, which is 17.6 per cent lower compared to the previous year, announces the National Statistics Office of Georgia.
People aged 31-50 made for the majority of inbound travellers (319,800 people), while the smallest category was the elderly (13,300 people).
In terms of gender, more men (590,600) travelled to Georgia than women (293,300)
A total of 1.1 million visits (-16% y/y) was made by 883,800 international visitors in Q1 2020, which was 15.2 less than in Q1 2019.
Geostat said that 69.1 per cent of international visitors were only tourists, 25 per cent were excursionists and 5.9 per cent were both tourists and same-day visitors.
In Q1 2020 the largest number of visitors (197,200 visitors) was from Azerbaijan, which amounts to 22.3 per cent of total number of visitors and is 7.3 per cent decrease compared to Q1 2019.
The largest number of visits (262,200) came from citizens of Azerbaijan, which is 10.5 per cent lower compared to Q1 of 2019.
The purpose of the majority of visits (31.9%) was holiday, leisure and recreation.
Distribution of visits made by inbound visitors by the main purpose of the visit in Q1 of 2020. Numbers in thousand. Image: Geostat.
The majority of visits were made to the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi (965,3000 visits) and the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia (371,700 visits).
The average number of nights spent during the visits equaled 3.4 nights, which is 8.8 per cent lower than the figure indicated in Q1 2019 (3.7 nights). 83.7 per cent of visits were repeat visits.
Expenditures during the visits made in Q1 of 2020 equalled 1 billion GEL, which is a 12.9 per cent decrease compared to the previous year. Average expenditure per visit increased 3.7 per cent compared to Q1 of 2019 year and amounted to 922.4 GEL.
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* A visitor is a traveller aged 15 or above, non-resident of Georgia, who took a trip outside his/her usual environment to Georgia for less than a year
** A tourist is a visitor whose trip includes an overnight stay in Georgia.
The number of visits by international travelers to Georgia hit a historic high and reached 9,357,964 in 2019, which is an increase of 7.8 per cent in comparison to last year, says the Georgian National Tourism Administration.
Georgia's Black Sea region of Adjara should become the main driving force for Georgian tourism and the economy, said Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia at today's meeting with representatives from Adjara's tourism sector.
Domestic tourism starting June 15, int’l tourism from July 1
Georgia is setting the goal of becoming the first country to open its doors to foreign tourists starting July 1 after months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and to welcome international travellers with a new image - 'Georgia - Safe Destination!'. Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava said that Georgia will be promoted as a safe destination for international travellers, as an internationally acclaimed and successful country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Georgia is striving to become the first country that opens its doors to foreign tourists after months of lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic. Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava said that the tourism sector needs special support to overcome the challenges it faces today and that "we are working on a tourism support programme" that includes anti-crisis measures as well as future incentives.
‘Georgia as a safe tourism destination’ is the message Georgian ambassadors will deliver to their respective host countries starting tomorrow, announces Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia. The ambassadors will pursue the establishment of so-called safe green corridors with various countries to ensure safe international travel.
The visits of international travellers to Georgia decreased by 94.5 per cent in April 2020 and came out to 35,497, announces the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA). Under the state of emergency declared because of the coronavirus pandemic, only Georgian citizens, truck drivers, diplomats, and humanitarian workers were able to cross the Georgian border.