Tbilisi (GBC) - According to Galt&Taggart, the number of international visitors reached 6.5mn (+4.6% y/y) in 2024. Tourists (combining 78.9% of total visitors) grew 9.0% y/y to 5.1mn, while same-day visitors declined 9.2% y/y to 1.4mn. 

The rise in tourist arrivals was primarily driven by non-neighboring markets, including Israel, China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia and central Asia. Arrival growth from Asian markets was supported by an increase in direct flights and visa liberalization with India and China.

Tourism revenues reached US$ 4.4bn in 2024, up 7.3% y/y. Overall, revenue growth was driven by the Middle Eastern countries, particularly Israel (+41.6% y/y), Iran (+17.9% y/y) and Saudi Arabia (+21.2% y/y) as well as Asian markets, led by India and China.

Meanwhile, revenues from most neighboring countries declined, with revenues from Russia, the largest contributor, down 2.1% y/y to US$ 850mn in 2024.

G&T expects 5.3mn tourists to visit Georgia in 2025 in our baseline scenario, up from 5.1mn in 2024, assuming political instability affects only 1Q25, with conditions normalizing thereafter. In a pessimistic scenario, G&T does not expect a sharp decline in tourist arrivals, as tourists from the Middle East and Asian countries are expected to continue growing, having already shown growth during the turbulent year of 2024. Additionally, possible reopening of the Azeri land border is upside for tourism. G&T projects tourism revenues at $4.5bn in 2025, up from $4.4bn in 2024.