MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development presented a summary report of the results in the tourism and aviation sector in 2023 and held a presentation of the plans for the ongoing year. Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze Oopened the event and First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili, members of the Government and Parliament, representatives of the public and private sector, diplomatic corps and international financial organizations attended it.

"The economy of our country is developing quite dynamically, the tourism sector, which is one of the most inclusive, employs the most people and has an immediate impact on economic success, has had a very important contribution to our economic growth in recent years. Tourism and aviation - these two fields are very closely related to each other, and accordingly, today we present a joint presentation," - Levan Davitashvili stated. As he noted, last year was marked by significant success in both sectors, and this is the result of a planned, consistent policy that the state implements year after year.

Mariam Kvrivishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, introduces the summarizing, extensive presentation of 2023 results and plans for the current year. According to Kvrivishvili, last year was marked by record figures for both industries – the country received 4,1 billion USD in income from tourism, and Georgian airports served 6 million passengers.

The year 2023 was particularly successful for the tourism industry, including in terms of the statistics of visits by international travelers – the number exceeded seven million people. In addition, 4 669 467 international tourist visits were implemented in Georgia last year - compared to 2022, the increase is +27,8%. In 2023, the income from international tourism exceeded the data of 2022 by 17,3% (608,7 million USD). According to global tourism revenues, the recovery is 93%. It should also be noted that in 2023, Georgia was the host country of the international tourism exhibition ITB Berlin and presented itself to up to two hundred thousand visitors from all over the world. This year, Georgia will host the World Tourism Day and will also be the host country of the m&I Forum.

The year of 2023 was also successful in term of large-scale infrastructure projects implemented in the mountain resorts of Georgia – the investments reached 300 million GEL in Bakuriani  70 million GEL in Gudauri. As a result, last year Georgia hosted the world championships in freestyle, snowboarding and freeski at the highest level in Bakuriani, and the country was included in the permanent calendar of the International Ski Federation - international sports events, including the stages of the world chapter, will be held here every year.

Last year ended with significant results for the aviation industry, namely: 9 new airlines entered the Georgian market in 2023, and 21, including 6 new European destinations, were added to the air flight directions. Among the strategic new destinations are Hamburg, Copenhagen, Madrid, Frankfurt, Brussels, Poznan, Cologne and Delhi. Today, leading airlines operate on the Georgian air market including Wizz Air Hungary, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Georgian Airways, Azerbaijan Airlin, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, etc.

Domestic flights statistics are also significant: the number of transported passengers is 33,187, of which 62% were citizens of Georgia, and 38% were citizens of foreign countries. As it was mentioned at the event, the planned infrastructure projects, including the Telavi Airport development project, will be a serious stimulus for the growth of domestic flights in Georgia. In addition, the construction of the new terminal of the Mestia Airport and the expansion of the Kutaisi International Airport are planned. It should be noted that the work on the Tbilisi International Airport new project has already been launched.

It was emphasized that the growth and development of these two important sectors of the economy - tourism and aviation, is important for the economic of the whole country in many terms, and most importantly, it generates new jobs and more prosperity for the population. In addition, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development predicts that 2024 will be even more successful, which will be reflected in the 6,8 million passenger flow in the aviation sector and 4,5 billion USD in revenues from tourism.