Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3
By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:
Azerbaijani travel companies continue their activities in Georgia in the usual mode, Trend reports with reference to local tour operators.
The companies surveyed by the agency stated that no changes were observed, and added that the Russian tourists who bought tours and tickets to Georgia through Azerbaijan did not cancel their trips.
On July 8, the ban on air traffic between Russia and Georgia, introduced by the Russia, will begin to operate. The Russian authorities also recommended to local tour operators temporarily not to sell tourist's packages to Georgia.
According to forecasts of the Kommersant newspaper, all these events will force more than 150 thousand Russians to refuse a trip to Georgia, while carriers should return to passengers about 3 billion rubles.
The tourism industry in Georgia may suffer losses in the amount of $750 million due to the termination of aviation communications with Russia, said Head of Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Georgia Shalva Alaverdashvili. "We counted the numbers, and if the market closes completely and Russian tourists do not arrive, the estimated damage will amount to 2.1 billion lari (almost $750 million)," he told the Georgian media.
At a briefing after the government meeting, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava said that as a result of recent events, the loss of the Georgian economy could reach about a billion dollars by the end of the year. This may slow down Georgia’s real GDP growth by more than two percent, she said.
On the online platform change.org, a petition in support of the lifting the ban on air traffic between Russia and Georgia appeared, under which more than 57 thousand people have already signed.
(1 USD = 2.82 GEL on July 3)