Sea, mountains and shared interests: Why do Belarusians keep choosing Georgia? Limansky’s analysis

Sunny Georgia is a wonderful holiday destination. In addition to its sea, mountains and natural beauty, the country is renowned for its historical monuments and authentic traditions. It is therefore no coincidence that many tours combine beach holidays with visits to iconic sites, including Tbilisi. The older generation also remembers Georgia as one of the Soviet Union’s “all-Union health resorts.”

Belarusians are also showing enormous interest in holidays in the country, and the statistics are quite impressive. In 2025, more than 150,000 Belarusians visited Georgia, 7% more than in 2024. At the same time, Belarusians ranked seventh among Georgia’s top 10 source markets for tourism, although the situation changed somewhat in the first quarter of this year: Belarus remained in the top 10 but dropped to 10th place, overtaken by Ukraine and India.

Among the countries most frequently visited by Belarusians in 2025, Georgia ranked fifth, behind Russia, Türkiye, Egypt and the UAE. Georgia has held this position since 2020. There are many reasons for the country’s popularity. In particular, the two countries have a visa-free regime, while direct flights operate from Minsk to Tbilisi and Batumi.

Tragedy in the mountains

On August 12, a fatal road accident occurred in Georgia’s Guria region. A minibus carrying 19 Belarusian tourists was traveling along a mountain road from the resort settlement of Gomismta to Ozurgeti when it plunged into a gorge. Four Belarusian citizens were killed, while 15 people, including six children, were injured.

The driver was a Georgian citizen who managed to jump out of the minibus before it plunged into the gorge. Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case against him under Article 276, “Violation of Traffic Rules Resulting in Death,” which carries a prison sentence of six to 10 years. However, the driver is currently in hospital under police supervision.

Another fatal road accident occurred on July 25 in Batumi, where a passenger car collided with a minibus carrying Belarusian tourists. Two of them were killed and 12 others injured. According to Georgia’s Interior Ministry, the driver of the passenger car was intoxicated, was speeding and did not have a driving licence. All those injured in the accidents received the necessary medical assistance immediately and were taken to hospitals in Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri and Batumi.

At the same time, Georgian Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs Mikheil Sarjveladze is personally overseeing the provision of assistance to those injured and is in direct contact with Belarus’s health minister. Georgia’s foreign ministry is also directly assisting in repatriating the bodies of Belarusian citizens killed in the accidents. Such direct involvement by Georgia’s relevant state agencies is yet another confirmation of the traditionally friendly ties between the two countries.

“Mom, let’s go there for a month next summer…”

Belarusians tend to view the accidents as a tragic chain of unfortunate coincidences, and the Georgian resorts of Batumi and Kobuleti remain among their favourite holiday destinations.

In particular, Diana from Belarus, who had previously visited Egypt and the UAE, chose Kobuleti as her holiday destination this summer: “The hospitality is wonderful, and the people are very friendly and cheerful. We got a little lost in Batumi, and passers-by spent a long time explaining to us in detail how to get where we needed to go. There is no hostility towards Russian speakers — it’s all made up. The service is also up to high standards. The staff are very attentive without being intrusive. Georgia left a very positive impression on me, and I will definitely return. It is one of the few foreign resorts where I have felt at home. The children keep saying, ‘Mom, let’s go there for a month next summer.’”

The development of Georgia’s tourism industry is also being significantly supported by investment from Türkiye: Turkish investment accounts for up to 75% of investment in Adjara’s resort sector.

Belarusians who live in Georgia permanently also feel comfortable there. The country is popular among Belarusian IT professionals and other remote workers. Natalia, a Belarusian who has lived in Batumi for many years and built a house there, says Belarusians are well-liked in Georgia: “People here say that we are good people, and you can see it right away.”

When traditions bring cooperation together

Beyond the tourism sector, cooperation between Minsk and Tbilisi is also developing in other areas. For example, on June 1, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov met with Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Khvtisiashvili. The Georgian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian capital to take part in the Belagro-2026 agricultural and industrial exhibition.

On August 11, Belarusian Ambassador to Georgia Nikolai Rogaschuk met with Levan Zhorzholiani, Head of the Administration of the Government of Georgia. During the meeting, the sides noted that trade between the two countries has been growing this year.

Here, it is worth noting that Georgia exports its famous wines, mineral water — including Borjomi — fruit and other traditional products to Belarus, while the Belarusian side supplies Georgia with products manufactured by Belarusian engineering companies, including elevators, as well as timber.

Cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Belarus and Georgia is also developing. On August 14, an online meeting was held between working groups on parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. Following the meeting, Valery Malashko, chairman of the parliamentary commission on health, physical culture, family and youth policy, told the BELTA news agency: “Our peoples know each other’s culture, traditions and achievements well. We have significant opportunities to further develop trade and economic, humanitarian, educational and, importantly, tourism ties.”

To make cooperation more productive, the two sides plan in the near future to establish Belarusian-Georgian friendship groups and develop direct ties between businesses, chambers of commerce and industry, and the regions of the two countries. In this context, digital communication tools make it possible to resolve many issues related to cooperation quickly and efficiently.

Belarus and Georgia have rich national traditions and take great care to preserve them, and both countries intend to expand cultural exchanges. All these areas of cooperation clearly demonstrate the intention of the two sovereign states to further deepen mutually beneficial ties for the benefit of the Belarusian and Georgian peoples.