In Georgia, estimated losses from the suspension of flights with Russia
According to the Georgian media, which refer to representatives of the local tourism industry, due to the stop of direct flights with Russia, the tourism sector Georgia It will lose at least $100 million in 2019.
The Georgian NGO “Banks and Society” says there will be an even greater loss if flights between Russia and Georgia are completely banned. The damage to the Georgian economy could range from $250 million to $300 million, or 8-9% of the state’s total revenues.
Experts from Russia who are familiar with the situation say that the Georgian tourist market is "shocked" by the "lightning loss" of the Russian market.
“Georgia has lost its fifth most important entry market. It is impossible to compensate for this in a short time. We are talking about sightseeing and urban tourism, health and gastronomic tourism, various event events and MICE tourists from Russia, the expert says.
Representatives of the Georgian hotel industry will hold a meeting to discuss the decision of the Russian authorities to ban direct flights between the countries from July 8. The main measure of sales support in the Russian market is called discounts on accommodation.
As noted by the participants of the Russian tourism market, the de facto decline in prices has occurred. “Georgian partners are already offering us hotel rooms in Tbilisi for $40 instead of $120 a few days ago,” one travel company said.
According to the National Tourism Administration of Georgia, in 2018, 1,404,610 citizens of the Russian Federation visited Georgia, 1,083,874 people entered for tourist purposes. In 2018, every fifth tourist in Georgia (21%) was from Russia. On average, Russians stay in Georgia for 6.3 days.
In 2018, 30% of Russians visited Georgia for the first time, 60% came to the country with a second visit. At the same time, 29% of Russians come to Georgia by air, 70% through the Kazbegi land border crossing point.
On average, last year, each Russian tourist spent 1326 lari (30 thousand rubles) in Georgia.
The National Tourism Administration reports that in May 2019, Russian citizens made more than 172,000 visits to the republic, 53.2% more than in 2018.
Currently, there are about 6-7 thousand organized Russian tourists in Georgia and three times as many unorganized tourists, in total, according to preliminary estimates, 25,000 Russians.
Source: atorus