PM Speaks About “all-time high” number of tourists

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has stated that in 2018, Georgia hosted 8,679,544 international visitors.

“For a small country like ours, it is a unique achievement, indeed, and what it means above all else is that Georgia's visibility and attractiveness are growing in leaps and bounds. Georgia's guests familiarize themselves with our unique culture to be reassured that our unique culture is part of common European civilization,” he said.

He said that it is positive that the world's most reputable organizations and publications, in 2018, numbered Georgia among the safest and tourist-friendly countries.

“In the same vein, according to the Numbeo global crowd-sourced portal, Georgia ranked 5th among 125 countries in 2018. The UN World Tourism Organization ranked Georgia 4th in the world, and 2nd in Europe, as one of the fastest-growing destination in the world.

“And that is exactly why tourism is one of our country's key directions. Georgia has great potential for stepping up this direction, and our Government is doing its best to transform Georgia into one of the exceptional destinations on the world's tourist map,” he said.

Bakhtadze stated that now Georgia must channel all its efforts toward the rapid bettering of its tourism infrastructure and services.

“We need developed tourism infrastructure not only in Tbilisi but also in the regions, especially in those Georgian regions previously lacking in prioritizing tourism. We will foster the creation of new tourist attractions and encourage additional investments in less developed regions,” he stated.

According to statistics for the first three quarters of 2018, tourism claimed 7.6% of the country's GDP, marking an almost 20% year-over-year growth. In 2017 as a whole, tourism held 6.8% of the GDP. In other words, the year-over-year growth was almost 12%, Bakhtadze said.