Covid-19 affects entertainment industry in Georgia
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Friday, March 13
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, including in Georgia, where 25 cases have been confirmed as of March 12th, many events and social gatherings have been cancelled or postponed.
According to the founder of online ticketing platform TKT.ge, Levan Kiladze, the demand for online tickets has fallen sharply in recent days. He says the change in consumer behavior is attributed to the motives of avoiding crowded places because of the virus.
Kiladze emphasized that ticket sales are down not only in Georgia, but also around the world. Seasonally, the sales begin for big festivals and travel at this time of the year, but this year, the turnout is incredibly low.
In addition, he said that incase of the postponement of events TKT.GE will fully refund the ticket fee to the customer.
TKT.ge’s statement read that during this difficult time, the entire team is mobilised to give immediate refunds in case of a delayed event and its call center provides consultation via calls or online chat. In the meantime, you can visit TKT.GE for updates, where they keep up-to-date information provided by the organisers.
“Given the current situation in the country, we are actively cooperating with both the organisers and the relevant public services, taking into account safety recommendations,” he said, noting that customer safety is paramount.
It’s noteworthy, that due to the coronavirus, the March 14th Georgia-Russia rugby match will be held without spectators, the Georgian Rugby Union reported. Those who have purchased tickets to the match should apply to TKT.GE for a refund.
For the same reason, the 23rd International Jazz Festival, scheduled for March 25-28 in Tbilisi, was also postponed. The event organiser Eastern Promotion reported that since the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the spread of the new coronavirus on March 11th and issued another list of recommendations, it was decided to postpone the event. Therefore, tickets sold for the International Jazz festival remain valid.
Other representatives of the entertainment industry, Tbilisi’s three prominent nightclubs Bassiani, Khidi and Mtkvarze are temporarily suspended.
According to Bassiani's statement, the club has taken into account the recommendations of the WHO as well as the experience of other countries in relation to the pandemic and therefore temporarily suspended its activities.
The club also calls on Georgian citizens to refrain from being in public spaces and to take care of their own health and the health of others.
There are 295 people in quarantine and a further 49 patients currently under inpatient care in Georgia.
