Deputy Economy Minister says “record” 2023 revenue from int’l tourism result of “correct policy”

Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili on Monday said the country had received “record” revenue last year from international tourism thanks to “correct strategy” and action plan of the Government.

Our country received more than $4.1 billion in tourism revenue, which is another success. This is 26 percent more than the revenue received during the pre-pandemic year of 2019”, she said.

Maia Omiadze, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, added the figure marked the highest point in tourism revenue, and added the country hosted over seven million international travellers last year, a recovery of 75.6 percent from pre-pandemic figures.

The number of tourist-type visits exceeded 4.6 million, an almost 100 percent recovery compared to 2019, she added.

Kvrivishvili also highlighted “successful activities” that she said had led to the increased figures in the tourism sector, such as hosting the 2023 Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Bakuriani and participation in ITB Berlin, a major international tourism fair, as a Host Country.

She also said the Government was “actively working” to have more direct airline traffic with “strategically important target countries”.

[The year] 2023 was also successful in this regard. We introduced a number of European airlines to the Georgian air market, as well from India, which contributed to the diversification of our tourist market. This was directly reflected in the increase in tourist flows and revenues from the sector”, Kvrivishvili said.

The Deputy Minister said among plans for 2024 was increasing awareness of the country as a visitor destination, hosting “more important” events, and having “more direct air access” to “strategically important” countries.  

We are sure that with this action plan and the right Government policy, as well as close cooperation with the private sector, 2024 will be the most successful year in tourist and airline markets”, Kvrivishvili said.

Omiadze added “active campaigns” for promoting the country would cover the European Union, the United Kingdom, Persian Gulf countries, India and China.