Tourism sector asks the state for help after Russia’s ban on flights

The Georgian tourism sector is asking for assistance from the state to minimize the damage that has been inflicted to the industry after the Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on June 21 banning Russian airlines from flying to Georgia from July 8 in response to anti-Moscow rallies in Tbilisi.

The representatives of the tourist agencies, restaurants, and hotels had a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava, where they raised their concerns and voiced their demands.

Head of the Association of Restaurants and Hotels Shalva Alaverdashvili said one of the main steps to alleviate the Russian embargo is to simplify border-crossing procedures from specific countries and attract more tourists from different states.

“Negotiations with the ministry will continue, including with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because the entering procedures for tourists should be simplified. We should attract other tourists to help the sector which suffered much damage. In this case, the Black Sea region is particularly noteworthy, which is now in a very difficult situation,” he noted.

According to him, Russian tourists write that they want to come to Georgia and want to know how to get into the country.

“Therefore, we are requesting free buses in nearby airports of Baku, Yerevan, and Trabzon. Russian tourists will enter Georgia in this way,” he said.

He said that in countries where there is a very high awareness of Georgia, like Baltic countries, there should be launched more charter flights. Also, border entry procedures from countries such as Iran, Arab states, and India need to be simplified.

“Such procedures have been quite complicated so far. We have to maximize the number of tourists from these countries to minimize the loss inflicted to our tourism sector,” Alaverdashvili explained.

The Head of the Association of Restaurants and Hotels added this year alone; the tourism sector expected more than $700 million income from Russian tourists.

The tourism sector also asks for free PR campaigns for tour operators, the involvement of diplomatic corps and revision of taxes. They also speak about the importance of promoting internal tourism in Georgia.

Natia Turnava promised the sector that the state will do its best to help them cope with the problems that followed the Russian embargo. However, she did not speak about any specific steps.

“Even though our tourism market is diverse, 25% of this market is Russian tourists…We are ready to stand beside the business. After I meet with representatives of the Adjarian tourism sector and I have a full picture then we'll talk about a specific plan,” she noted.

The large-scale anti-Russian protest rallies were launched in Georgia following the arrival of Duma MPs in Tbilisi Parliament on June 20.

When imposing the ban on flights to Georgia, the Kremlin had said they wanted to “ensure Russia’s national security and protect Russian nationals from criminal and other unlawful activities.”

After July 8, around 155 thousand Russian people will not be able to use the tickets they had already purchased. Also, 3.5 thousand people purchased their tours to Georgia from the travel agencies in Russia, and now their trips have also been abolished.