Georgia’s revenues from tourism reached  $522,945,221 in August, a 26.7 percent increase from the same month of the pre-pandemic 2019 and a 163.1 percent increase over August 2021, the country’s tourism administration said on Friday. 

The administration said the August revenues had surpassed pre-pandemic figures for the second time, adding the country had received $2.1 billion in income from tourism between January and August.

• Georgia’s international tourism revenue up 130% in July y/y, surpasses pre-pandemic 2019 by 20%

The number marked a 94.6 percent recovery compared to the pre-pandemic figures in 2019, and an increase of $1,437,776,241 (+204.3%) compared to the 2021 January-August period.

Georgian deputy economy minister, Mariam Kvrivishvili, has pledged the government would take further action to ensure “continued” growth in tourism income. Photo: Mariam Kvrivishvili's Facebook page.

Responding to the data, deputy economy minister Mariam Kvrivishvili said “we can be proud of the figures”.

We welcome that the tourism industry continues to develop and recover with positive dynamics. In August we had an excellent result. Not only did we fully recover the rate of 2019, but we improved it by about 30 percent. It is also gratifying that according to the January-August data, Georgia received $2.1 billion in incomes from tourism”, Kvrivishvili said. 

Stressing the share of source countries in Georgia’s tourism income statistics was “diversified” and included the European Union, Gulf States and Israel, the official pledged the government would take further action to ensure “continued” growth in tourism income. 

Medea Janiashvili, acting head of the national tourism administration, stressed that the “serious increase” in figures  was because of the agency’s “correct marketing campaigns”, adding that the share in the increase from target groups was “quite high”. 

Medea Janiashvili, acting head of the national tourism administration, has prised an upward trend in tourism revenues. Photo: tourism administration press office.

I would single out the European Union, Saudi Arabia and Israel, which is due to a number of marketing activities that we carry out in these markets. First of all, these are restored flights, direct air traffic, as well as a number of activities that we carry out through leading platforms such as: CNN, National Geographic, Bloomberg and others”, she said. 

The official noted that that this year Georgia had achieved an increase in the share of tourist visits in the overall tourism statistics. 

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