17:36, 16 September 2019

Amid Russian sanctions, Georgia reports increase of ecotourists

Georgia. Screenshot of the video "Georgia Pastoral Tourism Ecotourism in Georgia" by Matvey Mosiahin, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMkU7NkpZkM

In January-August of 2019, the number of visitors to Georgian nature reserves increased by 8% compared to the same period of 2018, the Agency for Country's Protected Areas has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported referring to the Georgia's Premier that in July the country's tourism business of Georgia lost up to USD 60 million because of suspension of direct flights with Russia. According to the Georgian National Tourism Administration, in July 2019, the number of Russian tourists in Georgia compared to the same period in 2018 decreased by 14%.

In January-August of 2019, more than 889,300 tourists visited the Georgian protected areas, the "News Georgia" Agency reported with reference to the Protected Areas Agency.

The number of foreigners who visited the protected areas went up by 17%; the Agency notes that they managed to preserve the upward trend, despite the problems faced by the country's tourism sector because of Russian sanctions.

During this year's eight months, the revenues from ecotourism sent up by 27% compared to the same period of 2018 and amounted to about USD 2.6 million, the "Tbilisi News" writes. The Martvil Canyon, Kazbegi National Park and Prometheus Caves are among the most popular nature reserves.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 15, 2019 at 08:53 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.