Mariam kvrivishvili Sums Up Georgia’s Year in Tourism
Mariam Kvrivishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy, sums up 2021 and thinks the figures are quite impressive.
According to her, this is against the background of the challenge not only of the pandemic, but also the fact that for almost two years the land border of our two neighboring countries has been closed due to internal regulations (the share of these two countries in total statistics in 2019 reached 40%).
"Consequently, we had to not only restore tourism safely under the Covid-Pandemic, but also ensure a 40% reduction in revenue and an increase in the number of tourists.
Naturally, the Georgian tourism sector has become completely dependent on the strength of aviation, as air transportation has become the main way for tourists to enter the country. Our team has invested tremendous resources in strengthening the aviation sector. With the right strategy, negotiation, proactivity and close cooperation with the private sector - in 2021, Georgia was named the world's leading country by Eurocontrol, with the fastest dynamics of recovery in the aviation industry - 93% compared to 2019.
- We have introduced new airlines, we have restored direct flights by 100%, and frequencies - by 85%.
Dynamics of tourism recovery in 2021 is as follows:
- In 2021, Georgia received $ 1,244,941,717 billion in revenues from international travel
130% increase compared to 2020, 38% recovery of 2019 data;
- 1,881,271 international travelers;
Growth compared to 2020 + 7.7%, 20% recovery of 2019 data;
- 1,577,463 international tourists;
Growth compared to 2020 + 45.1%, recovery of 31% of 2019 data.
I would like to thank each and every member of our team, all the public servants and of course our very strong private sector for their contributions and selfless work! The challenges are still too many, the expectations for the results to be achieved even greater! I am sure that by working together, 2022 will be a year of success, prosperity and a lot of tourists for our country," Mariam Kvrivishvili wrote.