Georgia benefits as visitor numbers rise

The number of foreign guests spending time in Georgia is continuing to increase with the latest figures revealing more than four million visitors have already spent time in Georgia this year.

Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Informative-Analytical Department stated Georgia hosted 4,187,595 visitors in the first eight months of this year – a two percent increase on the same period of 2013.

The latest data revealed in September 2014, 501,761 visitors entered Georgia. This was also a two percent increase on September of the previous year.

Of the total number of guests to visit Georgia this year, more than a third were tourists – 1,760,748 – which was 42 percent of the total guest rate. This was 10 percent higher than the same time last year.

Similarly 20 percent of the total number of people who came to Georgia were in transit – 827,805 – which was an eight percent drop on 2013.

In addition, 1,599,042 people came to Georgia for "other” reasons. This group of people represented 38 percent of the total number of visitors and a 0.4 percent decrease on 2013 figures.

The data for 2014 showed the most visitors came from Turkey (six percent decrease compared to 2013), Azerbaijan (14 percent increase), Armenia (two percent increase), Russia (0.05 percent increase) and Ukraine (1.3 percent increase).

A positive trend was also visible as more foreign visitors from European Union (EU) member states continued to visit Georgia. In the first nine months of this year guests from Lithuania increased by 81 percent on 2013, Poland by 36 percent, Latvia by 23 percent and the Netherlands by 12 percent.

As for guests from Asia, most visitors came from Kazakhstan. This group reported a 38 percent increase on 2013, while the largest number of guests from an Eastern European country were from Belarus, which saw a 49 percent increase on the same time last year. (Agenda.ge)