Galt & Taggart: revenue from foreign tourism decreased 77.5% in Jan. - Apr. in Georgia
Of the 212,700 visits made in January-April, 192,400 were touristic visits (-75.7% y/y). Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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In January-April of 2021, revenue from foreign tourism decreased by 77.5% year-on-year in Georgia, says Galt & Taggart, an investment banking and investment management services company in Georgia.
Galt & Taggart says that after the year-long lockdown, visits by international travellers who came to Georgia amounted to 212,700 in the first four months of 2021, which is 81.6% less compared to the same period of last year. However, in April alone international travellers made 82,519 visits in Georgia, which is an increase of 140.4% year-on-year.
The top 10 countries from where most international visits were carried out to Georgia in April 2021 were:
- Turkey - 21,106 visitor (+48.4%)
- Israel - 10,098 visitor (+13%)
- Russia - 8,518 visitor (+125.5%)
- Armenia - 8,331 visitors (+3.9%)
- Ukraine - 5,922 visitors (+403.6%)
- Azerbaijan - 5,287 visitors (+107.3%)
- Uzbekistan - 2,711 visitors (+292.9%)
- Kazakhstan - 1,639 visitors (+284.7%)
- Belarus - 1,463 visitors (+77.1%)
- Iran - 1,024 visitors (+611.1%)
Of the 212,700 visits made in January-April, 192,400 were touristic visits (-75.7% y/y).
Last year the number of international visits decreased 80% year-on-year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and accordingly the tourism sector received $2.7 billion less revenue (in total $541.7 mln) from foreign visitors, says Galt & Taggart.
The first flow of vaccinated tourists will appear in Georgia in the second half of March, Economy Minister Natia Turnava said earlier today.
Georgian and North Macedonian presidents have signed the visa liberalisation agreement between the two countries earlier today in Skopje, during the first official visit of Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili to North Macedonia. An agreement has also been signed for cooperation in the culture field. North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski has stated during a joint press conference that ‘we are making new history for our two friendly nations.’
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.
In the first 11 months of 2019, Georgian revenue from international travellers amounted to $3.05 billion which is $35.4 million more compared to the same period of last year, says the Georgian National Tourism Administration.
The land borders of Georgia are expected to open in the next few weeks, once the third wave of the coronavirus passes, announces Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava. She said that the opening of land borders will be an important incentive for the tourism sector.
If the vaccination process develops successfully globally and locally in 2021, air traffic in Georgia will return to the pre-pandemic mark in 2022 and will increase by 120%, says the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, commonly known as Eurocontrol.
The number of passengers who took regular or charter flights from or two Batumi International Airport in the Black Sea Adjara region of Georgia has increased 16% in January-May 2021 year-on-year, announces Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava.
Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze has recommended that even vaccinated travellers entering Georgia should receive a Covid-19 test in the country. “…this is important to have guarantees that we are not dealing with falsified documentation. Testing should be a regulation, not a recommendation", she said.
A total of 695,000 international visits have been carried out to Georgia in January-July 2021 which is a 45.5% decrease compared to the same period of last year, and 83% decrease compared to January-July 2019, announces the Georgian National Tourism Administration.
Visits by international travelers to Georgia reached the figure of 199,393 in January, making a 38 percent increase compared to the same month in 2019, and a 471 percent growth compared to January 2021, the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) said earlier on Thursday.
Galt & Taggart, a Georgian-based company for investment banking and management services, has forecast the country’s tourism revenues to increase by 15 percent year-on-year and reach $4 billion in 2023, in its Tourism Market Watch update released on Wednesday.