Int’l tourism revenues hit “record-high” figures in first 6 months of 2023 - Tourism Administration head
Maia Omiadze, the head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, said numbers for the third quarter would be “even more impressive”. Photo: Tourism Administration press office
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Maia Omiadze, the head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on Tuesday said revenues from international tourism had amounted to a “record-high” $1.8 billion between January and June of this year, claiming numbers for the third quarter would be “even more impressive”.
In her press comments, the official said the figure meant an almost 124 percent recovery compared to the pre-pandemic period in 2019, and a 57.9 percent increase compared to the data of the first six months of 2022.
Omiadze noted “several factors” had contributed to the increase in revenues, including increased flights and promotional campaigns run by her office.
Speaking about income from international tourism in the second quarter of this year, Omiadze said revenues had exceeded one billion dollars and marked a 115 percent recovery compared to the same period in 2019.
She also said tourism income in the second quarter of this year had increased by more than $260 million, marking an almost 35 percent increase on the same period of 2022.
Mariam Kvrivishvili, the Deputy Economy Minister of Georgia, on Tuesday said it was “important” to see increasing numbers of visitors from the European Union, Israel and Gulf states over the first six months of this year.
Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on Monday said the flow of tourist visits in the country had increased by 90 percent compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on Monday highlighted the dynamics of the tourism industry’s recovery from the pandemic period, as well as planned and implemented projects in Georgia, at a meeting of the tourism working group of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation.
Georgia’s tourism potential is promoted by officials and companies from the country at the ongoing Fitur 2023 international tourism trade fair in Spain, an event bringing together thousands of companies from over 130 countries.
Georgia hosted 445,894 international travellers in June, posting a 51 percent recovery from the pre-pandemic 2019 figure and an increase of 185.5 percent year-on-year, the Georgian National Tourism Administration announced on Wednesday.
The National Bank of Georgia on Wednesday decreased the refinancing rate by 0.25 percentage points to 10.25 percent after monitoring developments in the domestic economy and financial markets.
The largest number of visitors Georgia hosted in the second quarter of 2023 came from Turkey, followed by Russia and Armenia, the latest inbound tourism statistics published by the National Statistics Office of Georgia on Monday show.
A total of 697,800 Georgian resident travellers took a trip outside of the country in the second quarter of 2023, with most of the visits being made to Turkey (236,700) and Russia (79,900), the latest data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia shows.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Wednesday told the Parliament that the revenues from tourism in Georgia were growing at a “record pace” and highlighted the dynamics of tourism recovery after the pandemic.
The Georgian National Tourism Administration on Saturday announced a partnership with Skyscanner, one of the world's largest travel platforms, to attract more tourists from Germany, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates.