January 2020: visits by international travellers up 19.8 per cent

Visits by international travellers who came to Georgia amounted to 633,201 in January 2020, which is 19.8 per cent more compared to the same period of last year, announced the Georgian National Tourism Administration earlier today.

Out of the total number of visits by international travellers, 523,689 (19.8 per cent increase) were carried out by international visitors, defined as visits of people who are over the age of 15 and travel for less than one year.

In the first month of 2020, out of international visits, tourist-type visits (visits of people who stayed in Georgia for at least one night) accounted for 363,614 (an 18.9 per cent increase).

The top countries from where most international visits were carried out to Georgia in January 2020:

Azerbaijan – 34.9 per cent

Armenia – 17.5 per cent

Russia – 1.1 per cent

Turkey – 16.6 per cent

The major EU countries from where an increase of international visits was recorded were as follows:

• Italy -133.1 per cent
• Poland - 82.9 per cent
• France - 46.8 per cent
• Lithuania - 43.7 per cent

The countries with the most significant increase of international visits were:

• Israel - 57.3 per cent
• Saudi Arabia - 49.8 per cent
• Kazakhstan - 44.8 per cent
• Kuwait – 44.6 per cent

Preliminary data show that the income Georgia earned in 2019 from international travellers amounted to $3.3 billion which is an increase of 1.4 per cent compared to 2018.

In December 2019, Georgia earned $217 million from international travellers (up 5.4 per cent), says the Georgian National Tourism Administration.