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International visitors

Main characteristics

Characteristics of international visitors 2024

In 2024, 7.4 million visits were made to the territory of Georgia by international non-resident travelers, which is +4.2% increase compared to the previous year The number of visits made by international visitors amounted to 6.5 million, which is +4.65% more than in 2023.

According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, the majority of international visitors' visits to Georgia (51.9%) were for holiday, leisure, and recreation purposes. The most frequently reported purposes are visiting friends/relatives (22.8%), transit (12.9%), business or professional economic activities (5.7%), and shopping (4.8%). Only 2% of visits stated another purpose of the visit.

Main purpose of the trip

Visiting Friends, Relatives

In 2024 76% of international visits were repeat visits to Georgia, while 24% were first-time visits, which amounted to 1,546,290 visits.

For the majority of residents of the neighboring country, the visit to Georgia was not the first. The absolute majority of visits by residents of Armenia were repeat visits (97.8%), followed by Azerbaijan (92.3%), Russia (88.8%), and Turkey (75.8%). Almost half of residents of non-neighboring countries visited Georgia for the first time. Including China, where 75.1% of visits were first-time, and 64.1% of visits from the Persian Gulf countries were first-time visits as well 49.3% of Americans and 44.1% of Indians also traveled to Georgia for the first time.

Characteristics of international visitors

The average length of stay was 5.5 nights, and this figure varied by country. Residents of neighboring countries stayed in Georgia for a relatively short period (4.2 nights), with the exception of residents of Russia, who stayed an average of 7.3 nights. Residents of other countries stayed in Georgia for a relatively long time, 7.6 nights. Visitors from the United States also stood out in terms of length of stay, staying an average of 11 nights, Also stood out visitors from the European Union and the United Kingdom, whose average overnight stay per visit was 7.2 nights, while those from the Persian Gulf countries stayed an average of 6.5 nights

54.6% of international visits were made to the Georgian capital, followed by Batumi with 40.1%. Relatively fewer visits were recorded in other cities and locations, including: Kutaisi (8.8%), Kazbegi (8.2%), Mtskheta (7.4%), Gudauri (5.3%), Borjomi (4.8%), Sighnaghi (4.2%) and Gori (3.4%). The majority of visits at the regional level were also made in Tbilisi (54.6%), followed by Adjara (40.9%) and Mtskheta-Mtianeti region (16.5%). Of the remaining regions, the highest number of visits were made in Samtskhe-Javakheti (9.6%), Imereti (9%), Kvemo Kartli (8.7%) and Kakheti region (6.6%).

Characteristics of international visitors

International visitors used various sources of information before arriving in Georgia. Most visitors had experience from previous trips (57.7%), in 51.5% of visits they sought information from friends/relatives, for 19% of visits the Internet was the source of information about Georgia, and 9.7% used television/radio for this purpose.

A large proportion of first-time visitors to Georgia asked friends and relatives for information about the country (72.1%), 41.8% searched for information online, and 5.4% used a tourism organization as their source of information.

Source of information

25.7% of international visits were made alone, while the rest of the visitors had at least one companion during their visits, who was most often a family member or relative (48%). For 24.1% of visits, the visitor's companion was a friend.

Companion during visits

Characteristics of international visitors 2024

The economic status of international visits was distributed as follows: the majority were made by hired workers (63.5%). This was followed by the self-employed (12.1%) and employers (6.9%).

In 94.3% of international visits, visitors did not use a tourist package. The distribution of foreign and Georgian tour operators among visits was 4.8% and 0.9%, respectively. In total, international visitors paid more than one billion GEL for travel packages in 2024.

In 40.5% of international visits, the visitor was satisfied with the visit, 53.1% were very satisfied, and 0.4% refrained from answering. The overall satisfaction level was 4.5 (out of 5).

Characteristics of international visitors 2024

The total number of overnight stays by international visitors to Georgia in 2024 was 35,739,326. Among them, the largest number of overnight stays (41.6%) were in hotels, approximately 23.8% in rented apartments, and 19.1% in friends/relatives homes. Other types of accommodation are less popular among visitors (9.8% of overnight stays were in their own homes, and 5.1% were in guesthouses/hostels)

Division in overnight stays in accommodations

Rented House, Apartment

Private Home of a Friend, Relative

Personal Home, Apartment

Guesthouse, Hostel

Other

The total expenditure by international visitors reached 14.3 billion GEL, an increase of +10.3% compared to 2023, and the average expenditure per visit was 2,211 GEL.

The largest share of spending was on accommodations (33.7% of total spending) and shopping (24.1%). Expenditures on food/beverages also accounted for a significant share (22.4%), while visitors spent only 10.8% of total expenditures on recreational and cultural activities.

The average spending in neighboring and non-neighboring countries differs significantly. The average spending per visit in neighboring countries was 1,522 GEL, while the average spending in nonneighboring countries was 3,280 GEL.

Methodology

Inordertoobtainstatisticalinformation,theNationalStatisticsOfficeofGeorgiaconductsasurvey of international visitors. Data is collected by using face-to-face interview techniques. The methodology is based on recommendations developed by the World Tourism Organization. Interviewsareconductedwithinternationalvisitorsaged15andolderwhoareleavingthe territoryofGeorgia.Interviewsareconductedatbordercheckpoints.

Traveller Visitor

A traveller is someone who moves between different geographic locations, for any purpose and any duration Including a traveller refers to citizens of Georgia who are residents of a foreign country and excludes citizens of a foreign country whose country of residence is Georgia.

Another category

Includes trips of travellers aged 14 or younger, who moves to outside his/her usual environment.

A visitor is a traveller aged 15 or older taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place visited.

A visitor is classified as a tourist, if his/her trip includes an overnight stay

A visitor is classified as a same-day visitor (or excursionist), if his/her trip doesn’t include an overnight stay.

ThenumberofvisitsbyinternationaltravelersiscalculatedaccordingtothemethodologydevelopedbytheWorldTourism Organizationandincludescompletedtrips.