1. Current Situation in the Tourism Sector in Georgia
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Current Situation in the Tourism Sector in Georgia
July 18, 2014,
Porto Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki, Greece
International Center or Caucasus Tourism Marina Metreveli
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

2. Content General information about Georgia
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Content
General information about Georgia
Tourism Sector in the country
Problems, challenges and opportunities
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

3. General information about Georgia
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
General information about Georgia
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

4. General information about Georgia
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
General information about Georgia
Territory – 69,700 m2 (120th)
Capital – Tbilisi
Population – 4,935,880 (2013 estimate)
Official Language – Georgian (71%)
Ethnic Groups – Georgian (83.8%), Azerbaijani (6.5%), Armenian (5.7%), Russian (1.5%), others (2.5%)
Currency – Georgian Lari – GEL -
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

5. General information about Georgia
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
General information about Georgia
Climate – subtropical to continental
Time Zone – CET (UTC + 4)
Religion – Georgian Orthodox Church (83.9%) (2002)
Official Language – Georgian (71%)
Alphabet-აბგდევზთიკლმნოპჟრსტუფქღყშჩცძწჭხჯჰ
Literature – Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik
Music - Chakrulo (ჩაკრულო), Voyager Golden Record - Voyager spacecraft in 1977. 
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

6. General information about Georgia
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
General information about Georgia
Country – Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic
President – Giorgi Margvelashvili
Prime Minister – Irakli Gharibashvili
Speaker of the Parliament – Davit Usupashvili
Independence – (Russian Empire),
1921 (Soviet re-conquest), (Soviet Union)
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

7. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Georgian National Tourism Administration is responsible for tourism policy development
Marketing Department
Destination Development Department
Planning and Development Department
Administrative Department
International Tourism Learning Center
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

8. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Up to 80 Civil Society Organizations (CSO) registered to be working on Culture and Tourism.
ICCT – Memorandum of Cooperation with GNTA
Parsa (Coalition for Independent Living) – accessible tourism
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

9. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
In 2013 the number of international arrivals grew by 22%, overstepping the five million mark for the first time.
59% of Georgia’s service export revenue comes from tourism
Competitiveness of Georgian Tourism on the world market increased by seven positions ranking 66th among 140 nations in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness index (Score: 4.10 in 2013) compared with 2011 (73th position).
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

10. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Country
2012
2013
Change
In %
Turkey
1,533,236
1,597,438
64,202 4%
Armenia
921,929
1,291,838
369,909
40%
Azerbaijan
931,933
1,075,857
143,924
15%
Russia
513,930
767,396
253,466
49%
Ukraine
76,610
126,797
50,187
66%
Iran
89,697
85,598
-4,099
-5%
Iraq
6,947
41,239
34,292
494%
Israel
30,851
39,922
9,071
29%
Poland
20,563
36,946
16,383
80%
Germany
26,448
30,815
4,367
17%
USA
28,513
26,713
-1,800
-6%
Greece
19,777
22,024
2,247
11%
Kazakhstan
15,115
21,148
6,033
United
14,805
16,672
1,867
13%
Kingdom
France
12,004
14,239
2,235
19%
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

11. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Purpose of visit:
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

12. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Most visited destinations:
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

13. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Tourism portion in GDP increased from 5.9% to 6.6%
The average expenditure per visitor – GEL 800 (Euro 330):
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

14. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Activities during the visit:
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

15. Tourism Sector in the Country
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Tourism Sector in the Country
Satisfaction Level – Maximum score - 4:
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

16. Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Satisfaction Level / Complaints:
Satisfied – 74%
More-less satisfied – 25%
Dissatisfied – 0.4%
Did not answer the question – 0.6%
Did not face any problems – 86%
Had difficulties with transport – 4%
Complained about foreign language capacity – 2%
Road conditions in Kazbegi – 2%
Public toilets – 1.7%
Border-crossing – 1%
Navigating/signs – 1%
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

17. Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Types of tourism:
Bike tours – cross-country (Kakheti and Meskheti) and mountain bike tours (Svaneti, Khevi, Tusheti and Khevsureti);
Jeep tours – wonderful forests and unique landscape;
Rafting – 6 different levels, over 26,000 rivers;
Horse Riding – for beginner and professionals;
Fishing – provided fishing rod, fishnet, all necessary equipment;
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

18. Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Types of tourism:
Hunting – partridges, pheasants, ducks, wild chicken and hogs;
Diving – lakes, underwater caves and Black Sea;
Trekking – Georgian culture and traditions (UNESCO 4 monuments;
Wine tours – first production over 7,000 years ago;
Culinary tours.
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

19. Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

20. Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Strengths – Cultural and historical heritage, cuisine, natural contrasts, spa, rated in top 10 countries to travel;
Weaknesses – insufficient infrastructure, skilled staff (vocational education programs)
Opportunities – Investors, successful reforms, visa liberalization, growing economy
Threats – Political developments, competing countries
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

21. Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Problems, Challenges and Opportunities
Development Opportunities:
Health spa and wellness tourism (more than 2,400 natural springs with different mineral composition;
Eco-tourism – protected areas (7% of the total territory);
Adventure sports, water sports, mountain sports;
Cultural tourism – 12,000 monuments – 3,000 years of cultural history;
Agro-tourism – wine and gourmet tours, more than 500 varieties of grapes, local tastes
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.

22. Thank you for attention!
Programme funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
Thank you for attention!
BSB-TOUR project has been financed from the European Union and the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin ”.