The first weeks after the stop of direct flights between Russia and Georgia were marked by a significant reduction in the number of tourists at the height of the season.
According to the research group TBC Research, the number of tourists arriving in Georgia from Russia by plane has decreased by 78%. Thus, only 2.8 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation visited the country.
At the same time, the total number of Russians who stayed in Georgia for at least a day, compared with the same period last year, decreased by 21.4%.
In addition, the flow of arrivals through the border checkpoint “Kazbegi-Verkhniy Lars” also decreased. It recorded 24.5 thousand people, which is 5.6% less compared to the same figures for the past year.
As previously reported by News Front, Vakhtang Charaya, an expert in the field of economics, stated that there would be no serious blow to the Georgian economy due to a reduction in tourist flow from Russia. Nevertheless, the effect will be extremely negative for the “lower link” , namely, small business and related employees.