Expert Opinion cdr

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
1 Azerbaijani 
Manat
2.1018 2.1202 2.2513 2.2461 1.4718 1.4588 1.4944 1.6598 1.8299 1.8943 1.7185
1000 Armenian 
Dram
4.1141 4.0629 4.2526 4.7769 4.9271 5.1890 5.2461 5.8710 6.3613 6.3941 6.7138
Source: National Bank of Georgia
Tourism
In 2022, up to 5.5 million international visitors visited Georgia, from which 
the country received a total of 3.5 billion US Dollars. About 3% of foreign 
visitors to Georgia come from Azerbaijan, and 14% from Armenia (GNTA, 
2023). Figure 1.1 shows the distribution of incoming visitors to Georgia by 
country.

---

12
Figure 1.1
Source: Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA)
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has increased the flow of migrants moving 
into neighboring countries. In 2022, up to 1.1 million Russian citizens 
crossed the Georgian border, which explains their 20% share in Georgian 
tourism. The same can be said about people coming from Ukraine and 
Belarus. After Russia, Turkey and Armenia are the leading nations in the 
number of visitors entering Georgia, with shares of 17.1% and 13.7%, 
respectively.
Graph 1.7 shows the number of tourists that have come to the South 
Caucasus countries over the last 5 years. Georgia is the leading state in the 
region, with a record number of 9.4 million visitors in 2019. In 2022, up to 
5.5 million tourists visited Georgia, while in Armenia and Azerbaijan, this 
number was 1.67 and 1.6 million people, respectively. Positive dynamics 
in international visitor recovery after the pandemic can be seen in all 
three countries. Unlike Armenia and Azerbaijan, Georgia’s economy is 
significantly dependent on income from tourism: In 2022, the share of 
tourism in the gross domestic product of Georgia was approximately 5.3%.

---

13