Azerbaijanis make up greatest number of foreign tourists in Georgia
By Rashid Shirinov
Georgia welcomed a record number of tourists in the first five months of 2016, said Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia.
“For 5 months of this year Georgia saw a record growth in the number of tourists and travelers -- by May 2016 the number of visitors from abroad rose by 14.9%, and the number of tourists, who stay in Georgia for 24 hours and more – by 24.3%. This is a very positive indicator,” he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that Georgia is visited not only by residents of the neighboring countries but from EU states.
“The income from tourism in 2015 amounted to $1.94 billion and increased by 8.3%, which exceeds the figure of last year by $149 million. The share of tourism in gross domestic product also grows up. In 2015, it increased by 16.2% and amounted to 6.8%,” Kvirikashvili said.
For the last five months Georgia was visited by 2,119,275 people, 782,814 of whom were tourists, The Georgian National Tourism Administration stated. People from neighboring countries lead for the number of visits.
Azerbaijan ranks first with its 570,825 visitors, it is followed by Turkey – 71,524 people, Russia – 303,678, and Ukraine – 53,166 visitors.
The Georgian government reported that Azerbaijani tourists visit Tbilisi and other cities of Georgia mostly for 3-4 days and spend about $200 for the trip.
A room at the hostel or mini-hotel costs about 30 lari ($14) in the capital of the country. A three-star hotel room comes to an average of 75 lari ($35) per night.
Overall, Georgia has a pretty climate for receiving tourists. In winter the average temperature is +5°C, and +24°C in the summer.
The country has a great number of balneological and spa resorts, alpine skiing spots.
The best time for a trip to Georgia is May-June and September, when there is no heat. The best period to visit the Black sea coast and mountains of the Caucasian country is July-August.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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