Georgia’s hotel industry sees growth in 2023, statistics show

The hotel industry in Georgia experienced growth last year with 2,435 entities operating 2,488 hotels and hotel-type enterprises throughout the country in a 12.4 percent increase from 2022, according to data published on Monday by the National Statistics Office of the country.

Privately owned businesses dominated the industry, accounting for 99.7 percent of all hotels and hotel-type enterprises, with only 0.3 percent being state-owned, the Office said.

The total area of hotels and hotel-type enterprises reached 3.72 million square metres, marking a 16.7 percent increase from the previous year. Moreover, the total number of bed-places in operating hotels and hotel-type enterprises increased by 10.1 percent, reaching 107,700 in 2023, while the total number of rooms grew by 9.5 percent to 50,100.

The industry also saw an increase in the number of guests, serving five million individuals in 2023, representing a 1.2 percent growth from the previous year. Notably, 60.2 percent of all guests were foreigners, with 7.2 percent of the foreign guests were European Union citizens.

Foreign guests primarily visited for holiday and recreation purposes, with citizens of Russia (12.7 percent) and Israel (11.7 percent) representing the highest proportions.

Employment in the industry also saw an increase, with 26,495 people, 54.3 percent of them women, employed in the enterprises in 2023, Geostat said.