In July, flow of Russian tourists to Georgia dropped by 14%

In July 2019, after the ban on direct Russia-Georgia flights, the number of Russian tourists in Georgia decreased by 14% compared to the same period of 2018. Hotel business professionals in Batumi have noted that the total number of foreign tourists did not decrease due to a bigger inflow from other countries.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported referring to the Georgian Association of Inbound Tourism that the ban on direct flights led to a decrease of Russian tourists, but it was compensated by an increase of tourists from Europe.

According to the website of the Georgian National Tourist Administration, the number of tourists who visited the country in July 2019 was 882,331 people.

In the first three weeks of July, a decrease in the number of Russian tourists was felt in Batumi, but by the end of July the tourist flow restored, said Niko Chichinava, a hostel and rented apartments co-owner in the capital of Adjara.

Giorgi Tsiklauri, a Georgian tour operator, who has more than 100 guests a month, said that in recent years almost all the visitors were Russian-speaking, about half of them were from Russia, the rest from former USSR countries. "This year, the number of Russian tourists has dropped by half; thus, the start of July was not as profitable as last year, but there were more tourists from Europe," he said.

However, Revaz from the "Rezo" Hotel House has noted that many people in Batumi, the capital of Adjara, complain that the business has become poor.