GEORGIAN TOURISM in FIGURES STRUCTURE & INDUSTRY DATA Summary
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2013 GEORGIAN TOURISM IN FIGURES STRUCTURE & INDUSTRY DATA Summary This yearbook provides information about the activi- financial crisis, since then it has shown significant ties of the Georgian National Tourism Administration growth, accounting for almost 6.5% of GDP in 2013. (GNTA) in the field of tourism in 2013. It is mainly about statistical data and trends in the tourism sec- In 2013, there were a total of 1,065 collective accom- tor, activities undertaken by the GNTA to promote modation establishments in Georgia, comprising tourism and the standings of Georgia in international 15,967 rooms with 37,317 beds. These establishments tourism indices. are subdivided into hotels, which number 418, with a total of 10,801 rooms and 23,904 beds; and other ac- In 2010, the Georgian National Tourism Administra- commodation establishments, which number 647 tion was established as Legal Entity of Public Law un- units and include 5,166 rooms with 13,413 beds. der the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Devel- opment and plays an essential role in the economic The competitiveness of Georgian tourism on the development of the tourism industry in Georgia. The world market increased by seven positions, ranking mission of Georgian National Tourism Administra- 66th among 140 nations in the Travel & Tourism Com- tion is to ensure sustainable tourism development petitiveness Index in 2013 (Score: 4.10), as compared through positioning Georgia as a unique travel des- with 2011 (73rd position). In addition, according to tination on the international tourist map, improving “Rough Guides” Georgia ranks 5th among the top ten visitor experience and maximizing their expenditures countries to visit in 2014, coming behind Brazil and to significantly contribute to the national economy Turkey. Georgia was successful in international rela- by effective cooperation with strategic partners. tions as well, elected Vice-Chairman of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe and Vice-President From the statistical viewpoint, the performance of of the Committee on Statistics and the Tourism Sat- the tourism industry in Georgia in 2013 can be char- ellite Account. Georgia became a member of ICCA acterized as a period of further growth. In 2013 the (International Conference and Congress Association). number of international arrivals grew by 22%, over- stepping the five million mark for the first time. The The outlook for the tourism industry is highly opti- five-millionth international visitor was even awarded mistic. It is forecast that the industry will create more a prize to stress the importance of the fact. jobs and generate more income in the years to come. The number of arrivals to Georgia is expected to in- The high growth rate in tourism was also highlight- crease substantially thanks to various steps taken by ed by international organizations. According to the both the government in general and the Georgian World Tourism Organization’s report, “UNWTO World National Tourism Administration in particular. Tourism Barometer” (December, 2013), the increase in the number of international arrivals in Georgia was Among the actions taken by the GNTA towards in- rated as the highest in Europe. creasing the number of travelers in the country is: the development of tourism infrastructure, the facilitation Domestic and international tourism are important fac- of international travel, the improvement of service tors in the Georgian economy. The expenditures of for- quality, large-scale marketing campain, the increase of eign guests in Georgia has a significant effect on the awareness about Georgia, implementation of market- balance of payments. Approximately 58% of Georgia’s ing activities on domestic and international markets service export revenue come from tourism. Revenues and tourist product development. consisting of international tourism receipts demon- strated an increasing trend reaching USD 1,72 billion We firmly believe that this publication will become in 2013. Although the share of tourism in gross domes- an important source of data and information that tic product decreased in 2008 as a result of the global you will frequently come back to. GEORGIAN TOURISM IN FIGURES 3 International Arrivals International Arrivals by Types 2010 2011 2012 2013 International arrivals to Georgia have been grow- There has been a significant increase in the number Change (2012-2013) In % ing rapidly over recent years. In 2013, their number of arrivals from Poland (80% ) and Ukraine (66%), reached 5,392,303, representing growth of 22%. caused by the introduction of direct flights from Total 2,031,717 2,822,363 4,428,221 5,392,303 964,082 22% The highest growth rate was registered in 2012, Kutaisi International Airport to Poland (Wizz Air), and when the number of international arrivals increased the addition of flights in the direction of Ukraine. Including by 57%. It is important to mention here the significant role 24 hours and 1,067,338 1,318,968 1,789,592 2,065,296 275,704 15% played by the marketing campaigns administered by more The border crossing registration procedure allows the Georgian National Tourism Administration. Same-day 695,767 1,011,990 1,883,670 2,138,216 254,546 14% the identification of different types of arrivals. Out of visitors the total number of visits, 38% lasted longer than 24 The introduction of direct flights to Iraq boosted the hours, 40% were same-day visits, and 22% were for number of arrivals from that country. In 2013 their- Transit 268,612 491,405 754,959 1,188,791 433,832 57% the purpose of transit. number stood at 41,239, a 494% increase over last year. Source: The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia A comparison of global growth rates and that of Georgia shows that in the past five years interna- In 2013 there were 208,754 international arrivals tional arrivals in Georgia increased considerably from EU countries, representing a 4% share of total International Arrivals by Years 5,392,303 faster than in the rest of the world. Even during the arrivals and an increase of 22% over last year. global financial crisis of 2008 when arrivals world- wide fell, the number of international arrivals to The largest share of visitors, 87% (4,699,387) arrived 4,428,221 Georgia increased by 23%. This recent high growth in Georgia by land transport, followed by air trans- rate has been highlighted by international organiza- port, 585,701 (11%). Arrivals by sea and railway had tions. According to the World Tourism Organization’s almost the same share of 44,239 (1%) and 62,976 2,822,363 report, “UNWTO World Tourism Barometer” (Decem- (1%) respectively. The busiest border is Sarpi (Turk- ber, 2013), the increase in the number of interna- ish border), which saw 1,605,666 crossings in 2013, tional arrivals in Georgia was rated as the highest in amounting to 30% of all border crossings. This is fol- 2,031,717 Europe. lowed by Sadakhlo (Armenian border) at 17% and Tsiteli Khidi (Azerbaijani border) at 16%. 1,500,049 The statistics for the past three years demonstrate that the most popular season among international travelers is summer. During this period, the number of international arrivals equaled 1,880,515, (June: Basic Information 490,796; July: 613,604; August: 776,115), which is International travel statistics are provided by the 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 35% of all international arrivals. Information-Analytical Department of the Minis- try of Internal Affairs of Georgia. Source: The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia The majority of all arrivals, 88% (4,732,529), were from neighboring countries: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ar- Methodology International Arrivals by Regions menia, and Russia; only 12% arrive from other coun- International travel statistics describe the dy- tries. namics of inbound travelers registered at 19 bor- Region 2012 2013 Change change % der checkpoints. The list of border checkpoints is Turkey is the annual leader in terms of the number provided below: Total 4,428,221 5,392,303 964,082 22% of international arrivals. Although number of visits from Armenia was greater in December with a to- Air: Tbilisi International Airport, Batumi Interna- Europe 4,225,635 5,168,046 942,411 22% tal of 121,732 (27%), annual data showed Turkey to tional Airport, Kutaisi International Airport. be in first place with 1,597,438 arrivals (an increase Sea: Poti port, Batumi port, Kulevi port. Americas 33,898 32,593 -1,305 -4% of 4%) Land: Tbilisi, Akhkerpi, Guguti, Vale, Vakhtangisi, Ninotsminda, Sadakhlo (air and railway border East Asia/Pacific 123,987 121,649 -2,338 -2% A significant increasing trend is observed in the num- checkpoints), Sarpi, Kazbegi, Tsodna, Tsiteli Khi- Africa 7,110 5,024 -2,086 -29% ber of travelers from the Russian Federation. This has di, Gardabani, Samtatskaro, Kulevi. been caused by the visa liberation process and the Middle East 17,141 63,063 45,922 268% reintroduction of direct flights. In 2013 the increase Main Published Indicators in the number of arrivals from Russia was 49%. The International arrivals by nationality, border, and Source: The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia largest percentage increase was registered in Febru- border type. Visits lasting more and less than 24 ary (138%) and March (103%). hours, transit visits. 4 GEORGIAN TOURISM IN FIGURES GEORGIAN TOURISM IN FIGURES 5 International Arrivals by Months 900000 800000 2011 Air 2012 11% 700000 2013 Georgia- International Railway 600000 Land 1% Arrivals by 87% Sea 500000 Borders 1% 400000 300000 200000 Source: The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia