BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 19
By Maryana Akhmedova – Trend:
According to the forecast of the UN World Tourism Organization, domestic tourism for individual markets in Georgia is expected to recover to the pre COVID-19 pandemic level much faster than international tourism, Trend reports, citing the statistical data from Policy and Management Consulting Group.
The number of domestic visits within Georgia in the first quarter of 2021 amounted to 3.7 million, which is an increase of 18.8 percent, compared to the same period of 2020. The same figure also increased by 12.1 percent, compared to the reporting period of 2019.
According to the PMC, the number of domestic visits in the second quarter of 2021 increased 2 times, compared to the same period of 2020, and reached 4.2 million. The same index is also 27 percent higher, compared to the same period of 2019.
Significant changes were also observed in the breakdown of travel purposes of domestic visits throughout the second quarter of 2021, the report said. That is, “visiting relatives/friends” has remained the category with the highest share of total visits – 47 percent.
Nevertheless, the share of this category showed a significant decrease year-on-year throughout 2020 which was attributed to the imposed lockdown measures and traveler hesitancy, the report said.
The expenses of domestic visitors in the second quarter of 2021 amounted to 610 million Georgian lari ($195.5 million), which is an increase of 128.1 percent, compared to the same period of 2020, and 70.7 percent higher than the corresponding period of 2019.
The expenses have been significantly higher, which can be partly explained by inflationary trends, while most of the expenses fell on shopping, food and drinks, and transport, prices for which have increased in the national currency since the onset of the pandemic, the report said.
“Considering the positive trends in the number of domestic visits and the increasing total expenses of domestic visitors, it can be concluded that for Georgia domestic tourism has served as a buffer against plummeting foreign tourism, which is only beginning to recover,” the PMC concluded.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @mariiiakhm