Talks ongoing with Saudi budget airline Flyadeal for launching flights to Georgia
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili at the online meeting with the representatives of Saudi Arabia's budget airline company Flyadeal. Photo: Ministry of Economy.
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Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy Mariam Kvrivishvili is in talks with Saudi Arabia's budget airline company Flyadeal to launch flights to Georgia, the Ministry of Economy said on Monday.
The state body announced a delegation from the airline would visit Georgia "in the coming days," with direct flights from three cities of the country set to connect passengers to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and the Black Sea resort city of Batumi in case of successful conclusion of the talks.
Kvrivishvili said Georgia’s status as a “safe, hospitable country” with the ability to host visitors during all four seasons was being promoted during the discussions.
Flynas, another Saudi airline, has already launched flights to Georgia, with 26 connections a week to Tbilisi and Batumi.
The Ministry said the number of tourists visiting Georgia from Saudi Arabia had increased by 62 percent in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period of 2019, and by 30,848 compared to 2021.
Georgia has hosted 431,300 international visitors in the first quarter of the year, with the figure being 4.8 times higher compared to the same period of 2021, the latest data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia shows.
The Georgian National Tourism Administration, local travel companies and hotels are promoting the country’s tourist sights and potential at the Arabian Travel Market, a trade exhibition hosted in the United Arab Emirates.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili on Tuesday said tourism authorities expected an “unprecedented high” number of visitors from Saudi Arabia in the coming summer tourist season in Georgia due to recently inked airline deals.
Saudi Arabia’s budget airline Flynas is entering Georgia, offering cheap flights from three Saudi Arabian cities to Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi from June 1. Flynas will perform flights from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah to Tbilisi with an Airbus A320.
Georgia has received $582 million from international tourist visits between January-April, which is 463.1 percent more compared to the same period of last year, the Georgian National Tourism Administration has said.
Mariam Kvrivishvili, the Georgian Deputy Economy Minister, on Wednesday discussed development of bilateral relations with Princess Haifa Al Saud, the Assistant Minister for Tourism of Saudi Arabia.