Georgia's tourism revenue down amid Middle East visitor decline

Georgia's tourism revenue fell 3.8% year-on-year to $1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2026, largely due to a sharp decline in visitors from the Middle East, according to Galt & Taggart.

The data indicated that the downturn was driven primarily by a 65.1% drop in arrivals from Iran and a 61.9% decline from Saudi Arabia, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

Visitor numbers from Türkiye also fell by 10.9%.

The decline was partly offset by higher tourism revenue from visitors from the European Union (+12.1%), Russia (+10.1%), Ukraine (+49.8%), and Azerbaijan (+10.3%).

In the first half of 2026, Georgia's tourism revenue declined 2% year-on-year to $1.9 billion. Analysts forecast the figure will reach $4.9 billion by the end of the year.

According to the National Bank of Georgia, visitors from Israel recorded the highest average spending at $1,519 per trip, followed by tourists from Saudi Arabia ($1,469) and Ukraine ($1,429). Visitors from the EU spent an average of $1,347.

During the first six months of 2026, 610,800 Russian citizens visited Georgia, spending approximately $307 million, or an average of $503 per person. By comparison, 249,200 visitors from the EU and the United Kingdom spent $336 million in total—nearly 2.7 times more per person than Russian tourists.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov